Aryna Sabalenka smashes racket, yells after US Open defeat
What's the story
Aryna Sabalenka, the 2026 US Open defending champion, suffered a disappointing defeat in the final on Saturday. Elena Rybakina beat her 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 in the women's singles final at Arthur Ashe Stadium. The match didn't go as Sabalenka had hoped, and she showed her frustration by smashing her racket after Rybakina won the championship point. Later, she also yelled at a cameraperson trying to capture her emotions.
Emotional farewell
Sabalenka struggled to hold back tears during presentation
Sabalenka struggled to hold back tears during the post-match presentation.
"That's the last thing I want to do right now is do speech, but I'll try my best," she said.
"Thank you, everyone. Thank you for support throughout the two weeks. It was amazing playing in front of you all."
She also congratulated Rybakina on her victory and thanked sponsors for making the event possible.
Looking ahead
Sabalenka vows to bounce back
The defeat at the US Open marked Sabalenka's first Grand Slam title-less season since 2022.
Earlier this year, she was the Australian Open runner-up. She then lost the French Open quarter-final before suffering a fourth-round exit at Wimbledon.
"I'll just keep working hard and keep improving my tennis," she said. "There's lots of things to take from this tournament. As experience shows, I only come back stronger, and all of these lessons this season definitely already made me stronger."
Twitter Post
Glory for Rybakina; disappointment for Sabalenka
TOP OF THE WORLD 🌎
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 12, 2026
Elena Rybakina defeats Sabalenka 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 to claim her first US Open title! pic.twitter.com/7XA520vTei