Aryna Sabalenka cruised into the quarter-finals of the Brisbane International with a win over Sorana Cirstea, but revealed she would skip some events in 2026 to protect her body.

Sabalenka continued the defence of her title by earning a 6-3 6-3 victory over Cirstea, setting up a tie with defending Australian Open champion Madison Keys in the next round. 

The world number one took the opening set at the fourth time of asking before grabbing a break in the eighth game of the second to seal her one hour and 18-minute triumph. 

However, after the match, Sabalenka once again expressed her concerns about the schedule for the upcoming season, suggesting it was too long and intense. 

Leading players on the women's tour are expected to play at least 20 mandatory events, which includes all four Grand Slams, 10 WTA 1000 events and six 500s. 

"The season is definitely insane, and you see so many players getting injured," Sabalenka said. "The balls are quite heavy, so it's a lot of struggle for all of us.

"I'm skipping a couple of events in order to protect my body because I struggled a lot last season. 

"Even though the results were really consistent, some of the tournaments I had been playing completely sick, or I've been really exhausted from overplaying.

"This season we will try to manage it a little bit better, even though they are going to fine me by the end."

Aryna Sabalenka sails through to the quarterfinals #BrisbaneTennis pic.twitter.com/Din13p9QQZ

— wta (@WTA) January 8, 2026

Elsewhere in Brisbane, Elena Rybakina continued her strong form from last year, claiming nine of the final 11 games in her 6-3 6-2 win over Spain's Paula Badosa.

Rybakina, who won Wimbledon in 2022, beat Sabalenka at the season-ending WTA Finals and is among the favourites to challenge for the Australian Open crown in Melbourne. 

The third seed will face Karolina Muchova for a place in the semi-finals, and she was joined in the last eight by Keys, who was put through her paces by Diana Shnaider. 

Keys came from a set down to earn a 6-7 (5-7) 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (7-4) win, with the Australian Open champion surviving a scare after needing a medical timeout following the second set. 

Meanwhile, Zheng Qinwen, the 2024 Australian Open runner-up, has withdrawn from this year's opening grand slam event as she continues to recover from elbow surgery.

Data Debrief: Rybakina keeps on rolling

Only Sabalenka (63) and Iga Swiatek (58) managed more wins in the 2025 season than Rybakina (53), and given her scintillating form at the end of last year, you can imagine her being among the top contenders to challenge for the Australian Open title. 

Indeed, Rybakina claimed a 13th consecutive match win at WTA level, equalling her career-best winning streak from 2023, between Dubai and Miami.