Danilina and Krunić lose in Brisbane semifinals

The Kazakhstani-Serbian doubles pair of Anna Danilina (World No. 14) and Aleksandra Krunić (17) lost 3-6, 6-4, 7-10 in a super tiebreak to Spain’s Cristina Bucșa (28) and Australia’s Ellen Perez (23) at the WTA 500 2026 Brisbane International.

Danilina and Krunić’s opponents entered the match better rested. Bucșa and Perez did not have to play their quarterfinal after Spain’s Paula Badosa and Belarus’s Aryna Sabalenka withdrew from the doubles draw. Notably, Badosa later lost her singles match to Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina (3-6, 2-6), while Sabalenka defeated Romania’s Sorana Cîrstea (6-3, 6-3).

Danilina and Krunić faltered at the decisive moments of the match. Leading 5-3 in the super tiebreak, the Kazakhstani player mishit her serve, after which Krunić made several errors. Their opponents capitalized on these mistakes and closed out the tiebreak 10-7.

Meanwhile, the opening of the match went to the 2025 French Open runners-up. After securing a break in the second game, they took a 2-0 lead. Following their opponents’ break back, they broke serve again to move ahead 3-1, before losing five straight points.

The Kazakhstani-Serbian pair managed to turn the match around, leading 2-1 in breaks and winning the set 6-4. However, their efforts were undone by the super-tiebreak loss. Bucșa and Perez’s opponents in the final will be determined later. Bucșa and Perez’s opponents in the final will be determined later.

The hard-court tournament in Brisbane, Australia, has been held since 2009. With a prize fund of $1.2 million, it serves as a warm-up event for the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the year.