Sabalenka secures the Brisbane championship, while Osaka withdraws from the Auckland tournament.

Sabalenka secures the Brisbane championship, while Osaka withdraws from the Auckland tournament.

World number one Aryna Sabalenka prepared for her title defense at the Australian Open by securing a victory over Russian qualifier Polina Kudermetova in the final of the Brisbane International.The 26-year-old Belarusian overcame the challenge of losing her serve twice, ultimately winning the match with scores of 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 against the world number 107.Sabalenka had previously lost in the Brisbane final to Elena Rybakina last year but went on to win the Australian Open for the second consecutive time.The first Grand Slam of the year is set to commence at Melbourne Park on Sunday, January 12.Following a less than stellar first set, Sabalenka started the second set with renewed vigor, forcing Kudermetova to fend off break points in her initial service game.The mounting pressure led to a pivotal drop shot that allowed Sabalenka to break serve and take a 3-2 lead, after which she dominated the remainder of the set to push the match into a deciding third set.An early break in the final set placed her firmly in control, paving the way for her first title of the year.In other news, Naomi Osaka withdrew from the Auckland Classic final due to an abdominal injury.The four-time Grand Slam champion, competing in her first WTA final in three years after a 15-month hiatus and the birth of her first child in mid-2023, initially took the first set 6-4 against Denmark's Clara Tauson.However, the 27-year-old called for medical assistance during the changeover and engaged in a series of stretches during a medical timeout.After consulting with the trainer, she shook hands with Tauson, who secured her third career title and her first since 2021.The WTA announced that Osaka withdrew from the competition "due to an abdominal injury.""I would like to express my gratitude to everyone for their warm welcome to this beautiful city. I thoroughly enjoyed my time here, and I sincerely regret how my participation concluded," she remarked."I hope you found enjoyment in the tennis we managed to play, and I am truly thankful to be here."In other news, Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova will not participate in the Australian Open as she continues her recovery from a back injury."Regrettably, my back injury, which affected me towards the end of the previous season, has not yet fully healed," stated the world number ten."It is quite disappointing, as I have a deep affection for playing in Melbourne and cherish the wonderful memories from reaching the quarter-finals last year."

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