Aryna Sabalenka got off to a hot start in 2023 claiming the Adelaide 1 title over rising star Linda Noskova 6-3, 7-6(4).

The win was Sabalenka’s 11th of her career and her first since Madrid in May of 2021.

“I think I’m a different player right now,” Sabalenka said after her win, when reflecting on her time between titles. “Maybe a little bit smarter, a little bit calmer on court. Just a little bit of everything changed.”

Sabalenka didn’t drop a set all week, and her serving woes were in the past. She finished with 12 aces, 7 double faults and lost just two points on first serve.

The 18-year-old Noskova had to qualify just to get into the event, and then pulled off 3-set upset wins over Daria Kasatkina, Victoria Azarenka and in the semifinals a stunner over Ons Jabeur.

Ranked No. 102, Noskova will crack the Top 60 but remains in the Australian Open qualifying.

“Obviously a very tough match today. Aryna played just amazing,” Noskova said. “I didn’t have a lot of chances. I did have some break points, but she always served her way out of it. That was really tough to beat.”

“I think that when I trust myself and my game especially, I can just freely go for it, I can definitely play and actually beat some of the best players in the world right now.

“That’s really great feeling. But I’m obviously going to have to develop my game. There are a lot of blind spots. There’s always things to work on, I think.”