After her third-round win at the 2026 Brisbane International, Aryna Sabalenka faced an unusual question. During a press conference, she was asked why she appeared “angry” during her match.
Sabalenka entered the WTA 500 hard court tournament in Brisbane as the defending champion, having won the event in 2025 by defeating Polina Kudermetova in the final. She was also the runner-up in 2024, losing to Elena Rybakina in the championship match.
Aryna Sabalenka Opens Up About Why She ‘Looked Angry’ During Brisbane International 3R Win
Sabalenka is the top seed at the 2026 Brisbane International, and she began her campaign in the second round after receiving a first-round bye. She faced Cristina Bucșa in her opening match, winning dominantly with a scoreline of 6-0, 6-1. The World No. 1 then advanced to the quarterfinals by defeating Sorana Cîrstea 6-3, 6-3 in the third round.
Following her victory over Cîrstea, during the post-match press conference, a reporter asked Sabalenka why she appeared “frustrated” and “angry” during the match. In response, the Belarusian explained that her apparent frustration at the beginning of the game was simply her effort to find her “rhythm” and “focus.”
“That’s just my face. You know, guys, I was just born with this face (smiling). No, no, at the beginning I struggled a little bit with the rhythm, and I was just trying to find the rhythm and the focus, like, the right focus. And that’s it,” Sabalenka said.
Sabalenka again reiterated that her appearance of being “angry” was not due to “frustration” or anything else; it was simply because she was trying to “figure out” her game.
“Yeah, I think after a couple of games, I found my game a little better and the level was increasing every game I would play, so it wasn’t really frustration or something else. I was just trying to figure my game,” she added.
In addition to competing in singles at the 2026 Brisbane International, Sabalenka also participated in the doubles event alongside Paula Badosa. They won their first-round match against the pair of Liudmila Samsonova and Zhang Shuai. Still, they withdrew before their quarterfinal match against the third-seeded duo of Cristina Bucșa and Ellen Perez.
Who Will Aryna Sabalenka Face at the 2026 Brisbane International QF?
Following her victory over Cîrstea in the third round of the 2026 Brisbane International, Sabalenka is set to face fifth seed Madison Keys in the quarterfinals of the tournament.
Like the world No. 1, Keys also began her 2026 season at the WTA 500 hard court tournament in Brisbane. She started her campaign in the second round after receiving a bye in the first round.
The former world No. 5 defeated fellow American McCartney Kessler in her opening match, winning with a scoreline of 6-4, 6-3. She then advanced to the quarterfinals against Sabalenka after eliminating the 12th seed, Diana Shnaider, with a scoreline of 6-7(5), 7-6(5), 7-6(4).
Sabalenka and Keys have faced each other seven times on the WTA Tour, with the four-time Grand Slam champion winning five of those encounters. Their most recent match-up was in the semifinals of the 2025 BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, where Sabalenka won with a score of 6-0, 6-1.
The winner of the quarterfinal match between Sabalenka and Keys at the 2026 Brisbane International will advance to face either third seed Elena Rybakina or 11th seed Karolína Muchová in the semifinals of the tournament.
