Sabalenka reached the semifinals at Pat Rafter Arena on her fourth match point to advance to Sunday’s final against Marta Kostyuk, who defeated fourth-seeded Jessica Pegula 6-0, 6-3.
Although three match points slipped away under late pressure from the Czech player, Sabalenka sealed the victory when a Muchová shot sailed over the edge.
“I always try to stay in the present,” Sabalenka said. “I’ve been working really hard and every match against her is just another opportunity to win, and I’m super happy that today was the day I was able to get the win. She’s such a great player and I always enjoy fighting against her.”
With 32 winners and all four break points saved, Sabalenka will look to carry that momentum into her 13th WTA 500 final on Sunday.
Kostyuk recorded her third straight win over a top 10 opponent. She came into the match with just one win in five previous matches against Pegula.
On Friday, in a rematch of last year’s Australian Open final, Sabalenka broke Madison Keys in five consecutive service games en route to a 6-3, 6-3 victory. Last year at Melbourne Park, Keys defeated Sabalenka for her first Grand Slam singles title.
The Brisbane International is a tune-up event for this year’s Australian Open, which starts on January 18.
In the men’s tournament in Brisbane, Brandon Nakashima defeated Aleksandar Kovacevic 7-6 (4), 6-4 in an all-American semi-final. Nakashima will face top seed Daniil Medvedev after the Russian defeated American Alex Michelsen 6-4, 6-2.
Former No. 1 Medvedev is seeking his 22nd career title, while it will be Nakashima’s first ATP Tour final in four years. The 24-year-old American has not lost a set this week.
“We are really good friends,” Nakashima said of Kovacevic. “We have been practicing a lot in recent months and it is great to see him playing well in these types of tournaments. It was a super tough match from the start.”
#Sabalenka #Brisbane #final #year #row