Sabalenka Shakes Off Past Loss in Brisbane March
With a title to defend on Brisbane’s hard courts, Aryna Sabalenka buried a rare defeat to Sorana Cirstea, powering through 6-3, 6-3 to reach the quarterfinals amid rising Australian Open stakes.
In the thick humidity of Pat Rafter Arena, Aryna Sabalenka carried the weight of her defending champion status into a third-round clash at the Brisbane International. Facing Sorana Cirstea, who held a slim edge from their lone prior hard-court meeting—a straight-sets win for the Romanian in Miami 2023—the World No. 1 turned selective memory into momentum. On January 8, 2026, with Brisbane: Scores, Draws, and Order of play setting the tournament’s tempo, Sabalenka dismantled that shadow, her heavy topspin forehands dictating play from the baseline.
The Belarusian struck first, breaking serve with a backhand winner down the line that kissed the sideline. Cirstea, the 35-year-old veteran in her final tour season, fired back immediately, leveling at one-all with flat groundstrokes that tested Sabalenka’s footwork. But the top seed regrouped, breaking at love for a 3-2 lead as the crowd’s energy swelled, her first serve landing with 80% effectiveness to anchor the shift.
“I don’t remember our last match on the hard courts,” Sabalenka said in her on-court interview. “Probably, it’s for good [reason]. She’s an incredible player, always pushing me really hard. Especially in the second set, it was really great from her. I’m super happy I was able to close this match in straight sets. I was just trying to focus on my game, on going into this match and the things I have to do to get the win.”
Amnesia fuels baseline command
Sabalenka’s mental block on that 2023 loss sharpened her focus, allowing her to vary depths and angles without overcommitting. At 2-all in the first set, she unleashed an inside-out forehand to earn break point, then consolidated with a slice second serve that jammed Cirstea’s return. The Romanian hung in with underspin backhands to extend rallies, but Sabalenka converted her fourth set point on a third break, pocketing the 6-3 frame after probing exchanges that lasted under 40 minutes.
This wasn’t the 48-minute demolition of Cristina Bucsa from the second round, yet control defined every point. Brisbane’s pacey surface amplified her one–two patterns, where a topspin serve set up crosscourt forehands that pinned Cirstea deep. Her restraint—limiting wild swings—kept unforced errors low, a quiet adjustment from Miami’s grippier conditions where the veteran had thrived on chaos.
Resistance tests her closing grit
The second set echoed the opener’s tension, Sabalenka edging to 4-3 after a hold laced with aces. She carved three break points next, only for Cirstea to unleash four straight points, flat backhands echoing her earlier upset over No. 14 Jelena Ostapenko. Undeterred, the World No. 1 surged back with a three-point run, a crosscourt forehand winner sealing the break and tilting momentum decisively.
Cirstea summoned one final push, snagging a break point in the next game with a sharp down-the-line return that drew roars from the packed stands. Sabalenka held firm, firing two aces and a volley to win the last three points, closing the 6-3 set in 1 hour and 18 minutes total. The match’s stats captured her poise: 31 winners to 15 unforced errors, converting 4 of 13 break points while facing just two on her serve.
Aryna Sabalenka sails through to the quarterfinals 👏#BrisbaneTennis pic.twitter.com/Din13p9QQZ
— wta (@WTA) January 8, 2026
For Cirstea, this straight-sets exit followed triumphs over Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Ostapenko, a strong cap to her career’s Brisbane chapter. Sabalenka advances to face the winner of No. 5 Madison Keys versus No. 12 Diana Shnaider, holding a 5-2 head-to-head over Keys—including a 6-0, 6-1 rout in Indian Wells last year—while Shnaider marks uncharted territory. As the Australian Open nears, this win builds her armor, blending raw power with unflinching resolve on courts that demand both.
