Aryna Sabalenka vs Sorana Cirstea Preview & Prediction | 2026 Brisbane International | Round of 16

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Aryna Sabalenka faces Sorana Cirstea in the round-of-16 at the Brisbane International.

Ranking points: WTA 500

Start date/time: 8 January 2026 at 1:00 am

Venue: Queensland Tennis Centre, Brisbane, Australia

Surface: Outdoor hard

How to watch on TV: UK – Sky Sports Tennis / US – Tennis Channel

How to watch online: UK – Sky Go / US – Tennis Channel

Tickets: Visit this link for the latest Aryna Sabalenka vs Sorana Cirstea ticket information

Aryna Sabalenka vs Sorana Cirstea prediction

Aryna Sabalenka began her season in devastating fashion as she thrashed Cristina Bucsa inside 48 minutes. The world number produced a fine serving performance as she ended the match with a first serve of percentage of 78%, defeating Bucsa 6-0 6-1 to advance to the next round in Brisbane. She is the defending champion and has reached the last two finals at the event.

Sorana Cirstea is her next opponent. The Romanian, who announced that this season will be her last on tour, continued her encouraging start to the campaign with a straight sets win over former major champion Jelena Ostapenko. She broke twice in the first set to take the lead before holding her nerve in the tiebreak to win 6-2 7-6 (5).

Sabalenka looked on top form in her first competitive match of the year, and this should be a similarly straight-forward win for the four-time Grand Slam champion.

Aryna Sabalenka vs Sorana Cirstea tip: Under 19.5 games