Aryna Sabalenka has learned her projected path to winning the WTA 500 tournament in Brisbane as the Belarusian enters as the top favorite for the title but she could meet some tricky opponents and get tested.
As the No. 1 seed, the Belarusian has a first-round bye before facing either Viktoriya Tomova or Renata Zarazua in round two.
In the next two rounds, the world No. 1 is projected to meet Yulia Putintseva before a quarterfinal showdown versus Jelena Ostapenko.
The Brisbane semifinal could see Sabalenka taking on best friend Paula Badosa or even rising Russian star Mirra Andreeva.
If the 26-year-old reaches the final at the tournament for the second year in a row, she would probably battle against either No. 2 seed Emma Navarro, third-seeded Daria Kasatkina or No. 6 seed Anna Kalinskaya.
Sabalenka in good spirits ahead of her season opener
Last year, the Belarusian easily reached the Brisbane final before Elena Rybakina crushed her in the title match.
The world No. 1 maybe didn’t get the ending she wanted at the tournament last year but she is determined to go a step further this time.
“I’m super happy to be back in Brisbane. We’ve been here for, I don’t know, four or five days. I don’t remember. Probably still jet-lagged. But yeah, like practicing here. I like the atmosphere. Yeah, just can’t wait to start playing here,” Sabalenka said in her pre-tournament presser.
For the first time in her career, the 26-year-old is starting the season as the world No. 1 – but she doesn’t want to put too much focus on that.
“I don’t want to talk ahead, then lose everything in first round, be not in a good place (smiling). But, no, it doesn’t make any difference. Like doesn’t matter what’s your ranking. Anyway, you have to go there, compete, fight, do your best. It doesn’t matter whether you’re 1, 2, 3 or 100,” Sabalenka noted.
Tennis World USA