Aryna Sabalenka was pictured in deep thought and silence with her team following a difficult loss to Elena Rybakina in the US Open final. Rybakina secured her third Grand Slam title with a 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 victory in New York.
The defeat means Sabalenka has been replaced as the world number one by Rybakina after holding the top ranking for 99 weeks. It also ends Sabalenka's 20-match winning streak at Flushing Meadows and signifies she will end the year without a Grand Slam title for the first time since 2022.
Throughout the final match, Sabalenka showed visible frustration with her performance against a composed Rybakina. In the second set, Sabalenka slammed her racquet to the ground after offering a break point. Upon Rybakina's match-winning ace, Sabalenka flung her racquet away in disgust before congratulating her opponent. As Rybakina acknowledged the crowd, Sabalenka was seen smashing another racquet on the floor.
"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 three-peat," Sabalenka stated after the match. She explained her actions were an attempt to release aggression and disappointment. "So I just wanted to let it go, because if I would hold it inside, right now or here or there on the court, I wouldn't be able to say a word or I would just go not really nice over there."
Sabalenka also used an expletive when asking a cameraperson to leave her presence immediately after the loss as she sat with her team.