Tournament in Brisbane almost every year is the most important stop before Australian Open. This time, some players decided to take part in the United Cup in Sydney and Perth (such as Iga Świątek). Nevertheless, the cast is really strong. The winner of the previous edition will not defend her title Elena Rybakinabut the leader of the world ranking will be looking for her first victory of the season Aryna Sabalenka.
Sabalenka before the Australian mission
The Belarusian has a lot of points to defend in Australia, as well as in Brisbane for the final and, above all, for the triumph in Melbourne. However, as she claimed in an interview with the official WTA website, she is fully ready to fight. The competition in Brisbane will be a real test for her, although its difficulty level has potentially decreased.
Pegula still injured. He won't stand in Sabalence's way
All because of Jessica Pegula's withdrawal from the tournament. The American, finalist of the last US Open, was supposed to be the second highest ranked player in the WTA ranking in Brisbane (7th place). However, as the organizers of the Australian tournament announced, Pegula She withdrew from the game due to a knee injury. It is very possible that it was the same one (left) that prevented her from playing effectively during the WTA Finals in Riyadh, where she withdrew before the third match in the group.
Thus, the second highest seeded player in Brisbane was the eighth racket in the world, Emma Navarro. We will also see there, among others: Daria Kasatkina, Diana Sznajder and Paula Badosa. The competition starts this year, on December 29. The Australian Open starts on Sunday, January 12.