The Belarusian smashed her racket after the final and struggled to hold back her tears. Rybakina crowned her strong year with the title and the number one ranking.
Aryna Sabalenka was clearly unwell. The long-standing hard-court dominator and once undisputed number one in women’s tennis clutched her silver plate tightly and made a swift exit immediately after the obligatory prize-giving ceremony. Having smashed her racket in the heat of the moment following her 4–6, 7–5, 2–6 defeat to Yelena Rybakina in the US Open final; inconsolable, furious and at a loss, she struggled to find the right words.
“I’m obviously very disappointed, but I’d like to congratulate Yelena on an incredible year and tournament,” said Sabalenka through tears. The 28-year-old had already lost her number one spot in the world rankings when Rybakina reached the semi-finals in New York; on Saturday, the Kazakh, who is a year younger, finally stormed her kingdom with outward calm and consistency in her game: Sabalenka is no longer the queen of hard courts; following the Australian Open, this year’s US Open trophy also went to Rybakina in the final.
The Russian-born player, the polar opposite of Sabalenka – who thrives on her emotions but is sometimes undone by them – seemed almost a little lost in the bright light of the pyrotechnic fountains. “I didn’t expect this when I came to this tournament,” she said, humbly describing Sabalenka as a “great champion”.
However, the tennis world currently looks rather different. When the new WTA rankings are published on Monday, Rybakina will be at the top – and Sabalenka, who has been waiting for a tournament victory since March and, after three successful years, is set to end a season without a Grand Slam title for the first time, will have to fight her way back up.
“I wish I’d played better. Hopefully next year,” said Sabalenka, before disappearing shortly afterwards into the bowels of the vast Arthur Ashe Stadium, which she had left as tournament winner in 2024 and 2025.