Defending Brisbane International champion Aryna Sabalenka could have to beat three fellow Grand Slam champions if she wants to reign supreme once again at the WTA 500 event.
World No 1 Sabalenka defeated surprise finalist Polina Kudermetova to lift the Brisbane title in 2025, and has reached the final at the event for the past two years.
However, the four-time Grand Slam singles champion could have to navigate an incredibly challenging pathway if she wants to make it back-to-back titles at the famed event.
Like all 16 seeds in the draw, top seed Sabalenka receives a bye in round one, and will start her campaign in round two against either Anna Bondar or Cristina Bucsa.
But, she could then face 14th seed and former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko in the third round, a rematch of the Stuttgart Open that Ostapenko won emphatically last April.
Sabalenka is then projected to face fifth seed Madison Keys in the quarter-final — a rematch of the Australian Open final won by the American almost twelve months ago.
Should the Belarusian battle her way through to the semi-final, she is projected to face third seed Elena Rybakina in the last four.
Rybakina memorably beat Sabalenka to win the WTA Finals last November, but also thrashed the world No 1 in the Brisbane final back in 2024, dropping just three games.
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The Kazakh will begin her campaign versus Ashlyn Krueger or Zhang Shuai, before a projected round three encounter versus 15th seed Paula Badosa.
She is then projected to face either seventh seed Ekaterina Alexandrova — the world No 10 — or 11th seed Karolina Muchova in the last eight.
The bottom half of the draw is headlined by second seed Amanda Anisimova, who is projected to face Sabalenka in the final.
After a stunning 2025 season, Anisimova’s 2026 campaign will begin with a second round clash against either home favourite Kimberly Birrell or Rebecca Sramkova.
The American is then projected to take on 16th seed Marta Kostyuk in round three, before a potential quarter-final versus sixth seed Mirra Andreeva or ninth seed Linda Noskova.
Fourth seed and world No 6 Jessica Pegula is also in the bottom half of the draw, and is projected to take on compatriot Anisimova in the semi-final.
Pegula is set to face Tereza Valentova or Anna Kalinskaya to start her campaign in Brisbane, before a potential third round clash versus 13th seed Leylah Fernandez.
She is then projected to face eighth seed Clara Tauson in the last eight, with 10th seed Liudmila Samsonova also a potential quarter-final opponent in this section.
Main draw action in Brisbane will begin on Sunday, January 4, and the final will take place on Sunday, January 11.
(WTA 500) Brisbane International Projected Q/F
(1) Aryna Sabalenka vs (5) Madison Keys
(3) Elena Rybakina vs (7) Ekaterina Alexandrova
(8) Clara Tauson vs (4) Jessica Pegula
(6) Mirra Andreeva vs (2) Amanda Anisimova
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The post WTA Brisbane International Draw: Sabalenka’s tough pathway, Rybakina and Anisimova star appeared first on Tennis365.
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