Third-seeded Elena Rybakina will look to keep her campaign at the 2026 Brisbane International as she faces 15th-seeded Paula Badosa in the third round. Rybakina won 59 of the 78 matches in 2025, winning three titles, including the WTA Finals, and having as many as six semifinal finishes. She got a bye in the first round in Brisbane, following which she started her campaign with a 6-3, 7-5 win over Chinese qualifier Shuai Zhang in the second round.
Injuries prevented Badosa from playing more than 31 matches in the 2025 season, with the Spaniard securing 18 wins, including a semifinal run at the Australian Open. She began with a first-round bye in Brisbane as she was seeded, following which she won a hard-fought match 6-7 (4), 6-4, 6-2 against Marie Bouzkova in the second round.
Elena Rybakina vs Paula Badosa Match Details
Date: Jan. 8, 2026
Tournament: Brisbane International 2026
Round: Third Round (Round of 16)
Venue: Queensland Tennis Centre, Brisbane, Australia
Category: WTA 500
Surface: Hard
Live Telecast: Tennis Channel, TSN, Sky Sports
Rybakina vs Badosa Head-to-Head
After eight meetings, the head-to-head is 4-4 between Rybakina and Badosa. The Spaniard had a 4-1 lead in the rivalry, but the Kazakh has won the pair’s last three meetings. The last time they met was at the Dubai Tennis Championships last year, where Rybakina won 4-6, 7-6(8), 7-6(2).
Rybakina vs Badosa Prediction
In her match against Zhang, Rybakina had a strong showing during her service games, winning 81 percent of the first-serve points with 16 aces. On return, she attacked the opponent’s second serve, winning 57 percent of the points. Despite winning a lot of points behind her first serve, she managed to maintain an underpar 58 percent first serve percentage. She got broken twice in the match, but was able to break her opponent’s serve four times.
In her match against Bouzkova, Badosa won 61 percent of the service points and 44 percent of the return points. She was strong in her return games, as she created as many as 18 break point opportunities, 5 of which she converted. She did get 58 percent of her first serves in, which was below par, and which saw her face eight break points, six of which she saved.
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Rybakina had a 45-13 win-loss record on hard courts last year, winning titles at the Ningbo Open and at the WTA Finals, along with six hard-court semifinal finishes. Overall, she has reached 16 hard-court finals in her career, winning six titles on the surface.
Badosa had a 13-9 win-loss record on hard courts last year, with her highlight being the semifinal finish in Melbourne. The Spaniard has won three hard-court titles from as many finals in her career, including a Masters 1000 title at Indian Wells in 2021.
The player who has a higher percentage of first serves in the match will go a long way in winning it. Rybakina is the favorite in the upcoming contest, as she is the in-form player and a former champion in Brisbane, having won the title in 2024.
Pick– Rybakina to win in three sets
