Watch: Aryna Sabalenka destroys racquet after losing US Open title, World No 1 spot

Aryna Sabalenka hols her smashed racket after losing the women's singles final of the US Open tennis championships against Elena Rybakina in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Aryna Sabalenka smashed a racquet and then binned it in the locker room after losing the US Open women’s singles final to Elena Rybakina in New York. It was an understandable release of emotion from the Belarusian. Over the course of the final Grand Slam of the year, Sabalenka also lost her spot as world no 1 in the women’s world rankings after 99 heady weeks at the top of the charts. She ends 2026 with no Grand Slams after winning three last year, which will be the first calendar year she goes home empty-handed from the Majors since 2022. Defeat in the US Open final also denied her a three-peat at Flushing Meadows after having won the title the last two times.

“I wish I could perform a little bit better, but I guess next year,” Sabalenka said at the post-match ceremony. “Obviously, not really happy with the level I played (at).”

Clearly! Even before she reached the locker room, Sabalenka was feeling destructive: she smashed a ball into the stands and received a warning from the chair umpire. She bellowed at herself in frustration. She thumped a racket against the ground. Then, totalled a second racquet after the match was over. At one point, she also shooed away a camera that was focussing on her using expletives.

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“I just wanted to let all of that aggression and disappointment go outside (on the court),” Sabalenka said as way of explanation about her anger on the court. “It’s really tough to control your emotions when you lose in the final of the Grand Slam and when you were trying to go for (a) three-peat, so I just wanted to let it go.”

Elena Rybakina kisses the trophy after she won the women’s singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships against Aryna Sabalenka in New York. (AP Photo)

“I was just out there competing, trying to do my best with what I had. Not good enough,” Sabalenka said about a match where she committed 35 unforced errors.

The crowd did root for her, a rare occasion of things going her way on Saturday.

“At some point I felt like, ‘Oh my God, I feel American,’” Sabalenka said. “I just wish I could win it and feel the support even more. Not this year.”

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“I’ll just keep working hard and keep improving my tennis,” Sabalenka 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. Definitely going to motivate me for the next year to do a better job.”