WTA Week in Review: The star of the week, the upset of the week and more
It doesn't get much better than that, does it?
The first week of the 2026 WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz season is in the books, and if that foreshadowed what it's in store for the rest of the season, we're in good shape.
Poland won its first United Cup title in dramatic fashion, Aryna Sabalenka continued her dominance Down Under and Elina Svitolina captured her 19th career title in Auckland.
In the days leading up to those results we were treated to some incredible matches, surprising performances and notable upsets.
Here's a recap of all that happened on the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz last week, and what caught our eye.
The Star of the Week
Aryna Sabalenka
No disrespect to the other champions last week, but none shone brighter than Sabalenka, who did what she tends to do in Australia: dominate. The World No. 1 looked unstoppable from start to finish, winning five straight matches en route to her second straight title in Brisbane. And these were not easy matches: She breezed past Madison Keys -- who defeated her in last year's Australian Open final -- Karolina Muchova and the red-hot Marta Kostyuk in the final three matches.
In her 10 sets played, she only lost four games in a set twice.
Sabalenka has now won a ridiculous 38 of her last 40 matches in Australia.
"I worked really, really hard during the preseason," she told wtatennis.com's Greg Garber after winning the title, "and I think I added some things to my game that were working really well today."
If there was ever any question as to who is the favorite heading into Melbourne, that debate has been firmly put to rest.
The Biggest Statement Made Outside the Top 20
Marta Kostyuk
Kostyuk didn't finish off her dream week with a title, but what a remarkable start to the year it was for the Ukrainian. She came into the season determined to crack the Top 10 for the first time, and if last week was any indication, she has a real shot to do that in 2026.
Well-rested, and with increased power following an offseason dedicated to precision strength training, Kostyuk upset Top 10 players Amanda Anisimova, Mirra Andreeva and Jessica Pegula before running into Sabalenka, who was just too good.
After her run to the final, the 23-year-old moved up six spots in the PIF WTA Rankings, to No. 20 -- just four spots away from her career-high No. 16.
The Most Inspiring Performance of the Week
Belinda Bencic
The only player who rivaled Sabalenka's week was 2025 Comeback Player of the Year Belinda Bencic, who took home MVP honors at the United Cup after going 9-1 (and 5-0 in singles) and leading her country to its first-ever final in the team competition.
Building off of last season's success, the 28-year-old picked up incredible wins over Jasmine Paolini, Elise Mertens and Iga Swiatek (more on that match in a bit) and swept all four of her mixed-doubles matches with Jakub Paul before the loss in the United Cup final decider.
Captain Stan Wawrinka repeatedly pointed to Bencic as the star of the team, saying on multiple occasions that we're all living in "Belinda's world."
Bencic's five singles victories also moved her back into the Top 10.
“Super happy to be in the Top 10 now," she said. "I think it's been a huge goal, maybe a huge ride after the whole comeback, to come back and prove this to myself, that it's possible. We keep on going.”
The Biggest Upset of the Week
Jessica Bouzas Maneiro d. Coco Gauff, United Cup group stage
Overall it was a solid week for the World No. 3, who took three of her four matches, led the United States to the United Cup semifinals and got a confidence-boosting win over Swiatek.
Her lone misstep came as quite a surprise, though. In her second match of the tournament, the two-time Grand Slam champion fell to Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 6-1, 6-7 (3), 6-0. It was her first career United Cup loss, and the Spaniard's first Top 5 win.
Gauff landed just 60% of her first serves and won just under 60% of those points, and also had 14 double faults and 54 unforced errors.
She redeemed herself later in the evening, though, teaming up with Christian Harrison to win mixed doubles and advance the U.S. to the quarterfinals.
The Best Match of the Week
Belinda Bencic d. Iga Swiatek, United Cup final
What a treat this final was, and it didn't disappoint. The six-time Grand Slam champion took the first set 6-3, but Bencic responded quickly in the second set and never looked back. She took 12 of the final 15 games to win the match 3-6, 6-0, 6-3, completing her perfect 5-0 singles record in Perth and Sydney.
“It’s always a challenge playing against her, and every time I play her I look for ways to improve and make her life a bit more difficult,” Bencic said after beating Swiatek for the first time in over four years. “I think the difference today was I played very freely, I was really enjoying myself out on the court and I was just really going for it.”
Poland leveled the tie after Hubert Hurkacz defeated Wawrinka, and Poland claimed the come-from-behind victory -- and its first-ever United Cup title -- with a win in mixed doubles.
The Best Shot of the Week
Marta Kostyuk's phenomenal pass on the run
It's fitting that Kostyuk took home shot of the week honors.
Leading Andreeva 4-3 in the first set of their Brisbane quarterfinal, Kostyuk flashed some stellar defense to stay in the point before hitting a sensational running crosscourt pass that Andreeva could only watch. Crazy athleticism and touch, and a reminder that she's one of the most athletic players on the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz.
Kostyuk won the match 7-6 (7), 6-3 in their first career meeting.
The Feel-Good Moment of the Week
Team Poland Enjoys the Moment
After a rowdy champagne celebration -- which was a bit too cold for Swiatek's liking -- Team Poland kept the fun going at Bennelong Lawn, a botanical garden in Sydney that overlooks Sydney Harbour.