Ruthless Rybakina, Dimitrov take Brisbane titles, Rublev wins in Hong Kong

Elena Rybakina handed Aryna Sabalenka a harsh reality check yesterday ahead of her Australian Open title defence with a crushing 6-0 6-3 victory in the final of the Brisbane International.
The men’s final that followed on Pat Rafter Arena was a much tighter contest with former world number three Grigor Dimitrov claiming his first ATP title in more than six years with a 7-6(5) 6-4 victory over Danish young gun Holger Rune.
World number two Sabalenka came into the women’s final, a rematch of last year’s Melbourne title-decider, on a 15-match winning streak in Australia but was completely outplayed by former Wimbledon champion Rybakina.
The relentless Kazakh wrapped up the first set in 24 minutes on the back of three breaks of serve as Sabalenka, shaking her head at herself in disbelief, sprayed 12 unforced errors across the Queensland Tennis Centre showcourt.
Rybakina broke Sabalenka again to start the second set and, although there was more fight from the other side of the net, sealed her sixth career title when the Belarussian crashed another forehand wide.
“I want to congratulate Aryna on a great week and a great season last year and hopefully we will meet again in Melbourne,” the Moscow-born world number four said in the on-court presentation ceremony.
“Despite the score, it’s always tough to play you. We push each other, which is great, and we improve in this way so I hope that continues.”
The pair split their four meetings last year with two wins apiece, although Sabalenka won the match that mattered most to claim her first Grand Slam title at Melbourne Park.
Dimitrov’s experience and court craft won out over Rune’s youthful athleticism in the men’s final, an engrossing contest with plenty of high quality tennis that kept the crowd gripped for more than two hours.
The 32-year-old Bulgarian, whose game was once compared to that of Roger Federer, clinched a tight first in the tiebreak but world number eight Rune would not back down. The Dane, who regularly found aces to get himself out of trouble, fought off a break in a 17-minute game early in the second set and saved three championship points to hold for 4-5.
Dimitrov served out to love, however, claiming the ninth title of his career, and a first since he won the ATP Tour finals in London back in Nov. 2017, with a beautifully judged backhand at the net.
Russia’s Andrey Rublev began his season by winning the Hong Kong Open where he beat Finland’s Emil Ruusuvuori 6-4 6-4 in the final to claim his 15th Tour-level title.
Ruusuvuori had shocked Rubelv in a marathon encounter in Cincinnati last year, where the Russian was seen crying into his towel during the final set, but this time he made no mistake as he wrapped up the contest in 78 minutes.
“I enjoyed my week a lot here. It is a great feeling to start the season with the title,” Rublev said.
“I played a high level in the final. It will give me more confidence for Australian Open.”
The year’s first Grand Slam begins next Sunday and runs to Jan 28.