World No.4 Elena Rybakina captured her sixth career title and first of the season at the Brisbane International, defeating No.2 Aryna Sabalenka 6-0, 6-3 in the final on Sunday. The victory ended Sabalenka's 15-match win streak on Australian soil, a streak that began last year with her wins in Adelaide and the Australian Open.

Sunday was a rematch of that Australian Open final. Rybakina turned the tables this time, capped off a flawless opening week with a strong performance to dominate the top seed. The victory is her third hard-court title and first since defeating Sabalenka to win Indian Wells last spring. It is also her second title in Australia, having won her first WTA title in Hobart in 2020.

"Despite the score, it's always tough to play against you," Rybakina said on the court after being presented with the Evonne Goolagong Cawley Trophy by former World No.3 Wendy Turnbull. "We always push each other and I think that's great. We improve this way, so hopefully we continue."

Rivalry renewed: Sabalenka and Rybakina came into Sunday's final having not lost a set in Brisbane. Rybakina trailed the head-to-head 5-2 but the two split their four meetings last season. Sabalenka got the wins at the start and end of the season, beating Rybakina in Melbourne and in round-robin play at the WTA Finals in Cancun. But Rybakina snagged her first two wins over Sabalenka in Indian Wells and the Beijing quarterfinals. 

All five of Sabalenka's wins came in three sets. Both of Rybakina's came in two. Rybakina's trend continued in Brisbane.

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How the match was won: On Sunday, Rybakina quickly showed why she remains a dangerous rival when pitted against the WTA's elite. With her vaunted serve landing with speed and precision, Rybakina took advantage of Sabalenka's slow start to build a 5-0 lead after just 20 minutes. The World No.2 struggled to find her range on the forehand, as Rybakina's flatter forehand repeatedly kept Sabalenka rushing.

Despite serving 65 percent of her first serves in, Sabalenka won just seven points on her serve in the opening frame. Rybakina sealed the opening set after 24 minutes. She lost just four points on her serve and hit one unforced error in the set.

Sabalenka finally stopped Rybakina's eight-game run by breaking to 2-1 in the second set. After Sabalenka took a medical timeout to address an upper leg issue, Rybakina showed no signs of relenting. The 2022 Wimbledon champion saved three game points to break Sabalenka for a fifth time and went on to close out the match after 1 hour and 13 minutes.

"First of all, Elena, whoa," Sabalenka laughed. "That was an interesting match. Thanks for those three games. At least we made it look like a fight."

Stat of the week: Rybakina lost just 15 games en route to the Brisbane title. She lost more than three games in a set just once.

Up next: Rybakina now heads to the Adelaide International, where she is the top seed. After spending less than five across on the court in Brisbane, Rybakina says she's looking forward to getting more court time as she eyes a second straight title.

"I didn't have enough hours which we wanted to do the week before coming here because I got sick again," Rybakina said. "This week was a bit unexpected with the result. It was still getting back to the shape, to recover from the illness.

"I think we see how it's going to be in Adelaide. Of course, it's different conditions. Hopefully, as I said, I continue to play well and feel good on the court."

Doubles: Lyudmyla Kichenok and Jeļena Ostapenko got back to their winning ways, defeating Greet Minnen and Heather Watson 7-5, 6-2 in the final. It is the third team title for Kichenok and Ostapenko and first since 2022.