Sabalenka stunned as world No.1 crowned champion

Aryna Sabalenka destroyed her tennis racket and subsequently discarded it in the locker room after losing the US Open women's singles final to Elena Rybakina in New York. This was a typical response from the Belarusian athlete. Throughout the tournament, Sabalenka also forfeited her position as the world's number one female tennis player after 99 intense weeks at the summit.

This marks 2026 as her first calendar year without any Grand Slam victories, following three wins last year, which marked the first time she had gone without any since 2022. Sabalenka's defeat in the US Open final also prevented her from achieving a three-peat at Flushing Meadows, having previously won the title twice before. "I wish I could have played a bit better," she admitted at the post-match ceremony.

"I guess next year, I'll have to improve." Before even reaching the locker room, Sabalenka was already displaying signs of frustration, smashing a ball into the stands and receiving a warning from the umpire. She also uttered angry words at herself. She even thumped a racket against the ground and then smashed a second racket after the match ended.

At one point, she even shooed away a camera focusing on her using expletives. "I just wanted to release all that aggression and disappointment outside," Sabalenka explained. "It's really hard to control emotions after losing a Grand Slam final and trying to achieve a three-peat." Elena Rybakina was seen kissing the trophy after securing her victory in the women's singles final of the US Open tennis championships against Aryna Sabalenka in New York.

(AP Photo) "I was just out there, trying my best with what I had. Not good enough," Sabalenka said about a match where she made 35 unforced errors. The crowd did cheer for her, a rare occurrence of support going her way on Saturday. "At one point, I felt like, ‘Oh my God, I feel American,’" Sabalenka said. "I just wish I could have won it and felt even more support.

Not this year." "I'll just keep working hard and keep improving my tennis," she concluded. "There's plenty of lessons to learn from this tournament. As the experience shows, I'll come back stronger, and all these lessons from this season have already made me stronger. Definitely going to motivate me for the next year to do a better job."