Aryna Sabalenka cut a deeply dejected figure following a painful defeat at the hands of Elena Rybakina in the US Open final, a tournament where she has historically enjoyed immense success. The 28-year-old now faces a period of serious reflection after a turbulent week that completely altered her standing at the top of women's tennis.
The loss carries severe consequences beyond the missing trophy, as Elena Rybakina has officially dethroned her as the world number one after an unbroken 99-week reign at the summit. Furthermore, the outcome brought a screeching halt to Sabalenka's impressive 20-match winning streak at Flushing Meadows. Compounding the misery, this defeat ensures that Sabalenka will close out a calendar year without securing a single Grand Slam singles title for the first time since 2022.
Emotions boil over during the tense final
For a four-time Grand Slam singles champion, the weight of the disappointment was impossible to conceal on the court. Faced with a remarkably composed Elena Rybakina delivering a masterclass performance, Sabalenka struggled to keep her mounting frustrations under control. Her frustration first boiled over in the second set when she conceded a crucial break point, prompting her to violently smash her racquet into the ground.
When Elena Rybakina sealed the championship with a blistering ace past her, Sabalenka hurled her racquet away in utter disgust before making her way to congratulate her opponent. As Elena Rybakina soaked in the adoration of the crowd, Sabalenka slumped into her chair and demolished yet another racquet against the floor. Moments later, sitting alongside her team, she used an expletive while demanding a cameraperson move away from her.
Reflecting on her outbursts afterwards, Sabalenka admitted that managing your feelings becomes exceptionally difficult when you fall short in a Grand Slam final while chasing a rare three-peat. She explained that she deliberately let the aggression out because keeping it bottled up would have made it impossible for her to speak or behave normally on the premises.
Pundit analysis on mental collapse and missed opportunities
Known for her vocal court presence, Sabalenka frequently berates herself and rolls her eyes during matches, even when securing dominant victories. While she usually channels that raw energy into ferocious groundstrokes, former British number one Annabel Croft argued that her negative body language ultimately paved the way for her downfall.
Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, Annabel Croft described the scenes as extraordinary, noting that Sabalenka projected intense negativity through her posture in the opening set before her emotions completely overwhelmed her. Croft emphasized that this mental unraveling directly contributed to her losing the first set, essentially meaning she was defeating herself from within.
Although Sabalenka held back tears during her post-rejoinder interview while generously praising Elena Rybakina, Croft suggested the Belarusian would reap massive rewards by adopting greater poise. Croft added that the moment Sabalenka failed to respect the exceptional level of tennis her opponent was producing, she completely lost the ability to cope, behaving akin to a frustrated child throwing toys out of a pram.
The heavy expectations Sabalenka places squarely on her shoulders have frequently plagued her during major finals throughout her career. Having claimed four titles from nine Grand Slam singles finals, she has managed just a single victory out of four title matches played as the world number one. Notably, all five of her major final defeats have extended to three sets, and on two of those occasions, she actually secured the opening set before squandering the lead.
A turbulent season and the slide to world number two
After successfully defending her US Open crown in 2025, Sabalenka commenced the new year with ambitions of capturing multiple major trophies. However, her campaign hit early turbulence when she dropped a grueling three-set Australian Open final to Elena Rybakina, followed by a shocking collapse at the French Open. After dominating Russia's Diana Shnaider by a set and holding a 4-1 lead in the quarter-finals, Sabalenka completely derailed, getting dragged into a deciding set that she lost 6-0.
Her struggles continued at Wimbledon, where she crashed out in the fourth round against Japanese four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka, marking her earliest exit from a major in four years. Although she secured three WTA titles this season across Brisbane, Indian Wells, and the Miami Open, she continually found herself playing second fiddle to Elena Rybakina on hard-court grand stages.
The US Open was viewed as the ultimate opportunity to salvage her season, but she must now regroup as she adjusts to life as the world number two. Concluding her thoughts on the campaign, Sabalenka insisted she should remain proud of her overall playing level and take valuable lessons forward, emphasizing that her past experiences prove she always returns stronger and more motivated for the challenges of the following year.
