Episode 2 of The Big T podcast combined listener questions, new segments and candid conversation. Danielle Collins made an in-studio debut alongside Coco Vandeweghe, and the panel tackled topics ranging from player pet peeves to the Australian Open’s one-point event.

On the court, world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka reminded everyone why she sits atop the rankings. The 27-year-old, four-time Grand Slam champion romped through the Brisbane draw, with no opponent pushing her past 6-4 in any set. The opening week also highlighted a scheduling quirk: all of the WTA’s Top 24 competed while four of the ATP’s Top 8 skipped the first week. Brad Gilbert, with Vandeweghe and Collins, offered a reason: “Most of the top women are much more active to start the year because you guys have 500 [level] tournaments.”

January’s calendar places Brisbane and Adelaide as WTA 500 events while the simultaneous ATP tournaments are at the 250 level. Later in the swing, Doha and Dubai are 1000 level for the women and 500 for the men, which gives the WTA more time in the spotlight early in the season.

Poland won the United Cup, but world No. 2 Iga Swiatek struggled, losing to Coco Gauff in straight sets and then to Belinda Bencic in three, 3-6, 6-0, 6-3. Vandeweghe noted the toll January competition can take: “Coming into January, you’re supposed to be refreshed… And you’re already mentally frazzled.”

The episode also discussed the Australian Open’s 1 Point Slam, where recreational players could win large sums for scoring a single point against a pro. “I think if you have a big serve,” advised Gilbert, “go for big serve on first and second.” Vandeweghe observed that the format could tighten pros, and several stars failed to land their lone serve in the box.

A new segment, High-Percentage Tennis, produced spirited debate, including questions about coaching and speculation about future matches. “Will Juan Carlos coach a woman? No chance, there’s zero chance,” said Vandeweghe. Collins replied, “I’m gonna call him right now, let’s see if he wants to work with Danielle Collins. You think he can handle me?”

New episodes drop every Wednesday.

Tennis’s opening week produced a string of finals that matter as much for momentum as for trophies. Below are the five results, ranked in ascending order of importance for the start of the season’s first Grand Slam.

5) Svitolina repeated at the event her husband won last year. Entering her 18th season at 31 and as a mom, Svitolina dropped just one set all week and recovered from 1-3 down in the final tiebreaker against Wang. Her 19th career title improved a finals record to 19-4. She had ended 2025 with four straight losses and an injury but came into this week ranked 13th. A year ago she reached the Australian Open quarterfinals for the third time.

4) Belinda Bencic showed a clear return to form. Less than a year after having a baby in 2024 she is back up to No. 11. Her first serve was improved and she committed to opening the court with her forehand rather than simply rallying. At 28, she appears poised to try to reach the Australian Open’s second week for the first time.

3) Alexander Bublik kept a New Year’s resolution. “The only goal for this season was to achieve the Top 10.” He started the year ranked 11th and, after beating Musetti to lift the trophy, moved inside the top 10. “In the first week I’ve won the title and I’m into the Top 10,” he said. Down at 80th last April, Bublik has won five titles since the middle of 2025 and climbed 70 ranking spots. He mixed big power and delicate touch; “It’s a pleasure [to win this title], and I hope to continue this way,” he said.

2) Daniil Medvedev took Brisbane to start the year. With a shorter haircut, a new shirt and a more proactive approach, he beat Brandon Nakashima 6-2, 7-6 (1) for his 22nd title at his 22nd different tournament. Medvedev, who turns 30 next month and has coach Thomas Johansson in his corner, played more on the front foot and closed out the tiebreak with composure. “Dear ATP tour,” he tweeted afterward, “can you please make more cities? I am running out…”

1) Aryna Sabalenka’s week may matter most for Melbourne. The world No. 1 won a title without dropping a set and showed a new steadiness when Kostyuk briefly took control. “I kind of like changed my game style,” Sabalenka said. “Now I’m not only the aggressive player. I can play at the net, I can be in the defense, I can use my slice, I have a good touch.” “I’m super happy to see that things are clicking together.” Swiatek’s United Cup win was positive, but concerns remain after she lost her last two matches and told her coach she “couldn’t feel” her forehand. “You just want her to take a deep breath,” Laura Robson said of Swiatek.

World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka captured the first title of her 2026 season with a straight-sets victory over Marta Kostyuk, 6-4, 6-3, to win the WTA 500 event in Brisbane. Sabalenka, who also won the tournament last year, did not lose a set all week and did not concede more than four games in any set en route to the trophy.

Kostyuk reached the final after an impressive run in which she took out three Top 10 players in a row—No. 3 Amanda Anisimova, No. 9 Mirra Andreeva and No. 6 Jessica Pegula—in straight sets. In the championship match the two traded early breaks, but Sabalenka broke again to close the first set, secured an early break in the second and held serve from there to finish the match.

The triumph in Brisbane is the 22nd WTA title of Sabalenka’s career and marks the fifth tournament she’s won multiple times, alongside the Australian Open and US Open (twice each) and Madrid and Wuhan (three times each). It also extended her recent supremacy in Australia: she has now won five of the last seven events she has played there and 38 of her last 40 matches in the country.

SABALENKA IN AUSTRALIA SINCE START OF 2023: 38-2. The only two defeats in that stretch were to Elena Rybakina in the 2024 Brisbane final and to Madison Keys in the 2025 Australian Open final.

After a planned week off from tournaments, Sabalenka will head to the Australian Open as the favorite for the title. The Brisbane victory reinforces her form and provides momentum as she prepares for the Grand Slam start to the season.