Triple preview: What to watch for in United Cup, Brisbane, Auckland finals

After a two-month breather -- for tennis fans, anyway -- this full-throttle 2026 season has already hit … hard.

With 24 of the top 25 WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz players in action in Sydney, Perth, Brisbane and Auckland, it’s been a terrific first-week smorgasbord of tennis.

On Sunday, the three opening events -- United Cup, the Brisbane International and the ASB Classic -- will crown champions one week before play begins at the Australian Open.

Writers Greg Garber and Brad Kallet weigh in on this compelling tripleheader.

United Cup final: Poland vs. Switzerland

Switzerland and Poland both came through with dramatic mixed-doubles wins Saturday to advance to the final.

While Belinda Bencic (8-0 so far) and World No. 2 Iga Swiatek are the headliners, it could come down to mixed.

Poland’s Jan Zielinski and Katarzyna Kawa defeated Coco Gauff and Christian Harrison 7-6 (5), 7-6 (3), and earlier Bencic and Jakub Paul were 6-3, 0-6, [10-5] winners over Elise Mertens and Zizou Bergs.

So, who wins it all?

Garber's take: I’m going with Poland. True, Swiatek lost to Gauff in straight sets, but she has a decisive 5-1 head-to-head advantage over Bencic. At the same time, Switzerland’s Stan Wawrinka -- at 40, playing his last season -- has been beatable and I think Hubert Hurkacz (who won their lone meeting) will win. If Poland’s singles players take care of business, mixed doubles won’t matter.

Kallet's take: Very tough call here. It's difficult to go against Iga and Co., but I'm going to stick with the Switzerland because their story is just too good -- and their momentum is just too strong. Bencic, last year's Comeback Player of the Year, has already built on her remarkable 2025 season by winning all eight of her matches in United Cup play -- dropping just one singles set -- and Wawrinka, in his last season, is searching for a few more magical moments to close out his career. And if mixed doubles decides it, I'm not betting against Bencic and Paul, who are 4-0.

If Team Switzerland gets it done, we'll be talking about this one for a long, long time.

Brisbane International final: Sabalenka vs. Kostyuk

There were seven Top 10 players in the jam-packed draw of this WTA Tour event, and now there’s only one left: World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka. 

She’s navigated her way cleanly through four matches, winning all eight sets and dropping only 20 games. She avenged her Australian Open final loss to Madison Keys in the quarters, and handled Karolina Muchova in the semifinals.

Marta Kostyuk, the No. 16 and final seed, has been just as remarkable. She has upset, in order, No. 2 seed Amanda Anisimova, No. 6 Mirra Andreeva and No. 4 Jessica Pegula. Which begs the question...

Does Kostyuk have one more Top 10 win in her?

Garber’s take: I’d like to say yes, but it’s hard to pick against Sabalenka in this final. For three years now, she’s come into the new year absolutely flying -- don’t forget, she’s reached three straight finals at the Australian Open.

Sabalenka’s been working on some things in the offseason; she’s trying to get to net more often. But Kostyuk is the kind of challenge she relishes, and I’m guessing we’ll see her draw on the aggressiveness and raw power that have kept her at No. 1 for more than a year now. Sabalenka has won 13 of 14 matches in Brisbane and holds a 4-0 head-to-head advantage. Nevertheless, I’ve been impressed with Kostyuk’s run here and, after reading your recent story, Brad, I get the idea that she’s ready to cash in on her goal of crashing the Top 10.

Kallet's take: Man, what a doozy. Even though Kostyuk is seeded 16th, there are few final scenarios more compelling than this one. Yep, I talked to Kostyuk right before the season and she seemed energized, excited and fit, with increased power from precision strength training and a concrete goal to reach the Top 10. I can now understand why she was so confident during that conversation, because she has looked the part of a Top 10 player -- Top 5, even -- this week.

But can I really bet against Sabalenka? You laid out her dominance in Australia, Greg, and it's impossible to argue with. Add in the fact that she's won 37 of 39 matches Down Under, and she's obviously the clear favorite. Let's hope it's a classic three-setter, and a precursor to a budding rivalry in 2026.

ASB Classic final: Svitolina vs. Wang

Seniority prevailed in the semifinals as No. 1 seed Elina Svitolina took down American teenager Iva Jovic 7-6 (5), 6-2, and No. 7 Wang Xinyu was a 5-7, 7-5, 6-4 winner over 20-year-old Alexandra Eala. 

Can Wang overcome Svitolina’s vast edge in experience?

Garber's take: Doubtful. Consider this: Svitolina has played in 22 tour-level finals and won 18 of them. That’s a pretty impressive 82 percent success rate. This is only the second final of Wang’s career at this level; she reached the Berlin final last year. I’ll (predictably) go with the 31-year-old mother in this one.

Kallet's take: Great stat, Greg, and one we don't talk about nearly enough. Eighteen wins in 22 finals is nuts, and emblematic of how clutch the Ukrainian has been throughout her career. And just a pro's pro for well over a decade. (Her first title came way back in 2013.) She knows how to win the biggest matches, and I agree she gets it done again this time. She played Wang once previously, a 6-2, 6-1 win at Wimbledon in 2024.