Aryna Sabalenka on why she smashed a racquet as her three-peat dream died in NEw York.
Richard PagliaroSeptember 12, 20262 minute learn
By Richard Pagliaro | Saturday, September 12, 2026
Picture credit score: Darren Carroll/USTA/Getty
NEW YORK—Festering frustration lastly erupted.
Aryna Sabalenka spiked her Wilson racquet off the arduous court docket unleashing the annoyance inside.
Elena Rybakina wrecked Sabalenka’s Grand Slam goals for the second time this season and shattered her 19-match US Open successful streak within the course of.
The second-seeded Rybakina dethroned two-time defending champion Sabalenka 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 to seize her maiden US Open championship and third Grand Slam crown.
Sabalenka belted a ball into the gang at one level earlier than slamming her stick off the arduous court docket after seeing her quest to grow to be the primary girl since Serena Williams (2012-2014) to three-peat in New York got here to an finish.
Afterward, the four-time Grand Slam champion mentioned she needed to vent to stop breaking down.
“It’s actually powerful to manage your feelings once you lose within the closing of the Grand Slam and once you have been making an attempt to go for three-peat,” Sabalenka mentioned. “So I simply wished to let it go, as a result of if I might maintain it inside, proper now or right here or there on the court docket, I wouldn’t be capable of say a phrase or I might simply go probably not good over there.
“So I simply wished to let all of that aggression and disappointment go exterior.”
Although she held again tears throughout the trophy presentation, in her post-match presser Sabalenka praised new No. 1 Rybakina for outplaying her. Rybakina smacked 12 aces and confronted simply three break factors gathering her third Grand Slam championship.
“Effectively, yeah, I’m clearly probably not pleased with the extent I performed in the present day, however she served unbelievable,” Sabalenka mentioned. “She performed actually aggressive, nice tennis.
“Yeah, she was merely a greater participant in the present day than me.”
Sabalenka has not lifted a title trophy because the Miami Open final April, however did ship one in every of her greatest matches of the season defeating third-seeded Jessica Pegula within the US Open semifinals.
The massive-hitting Belarusian mentioned this painful defeat will solely make her stronger.
“I believe total I needs to be pleased with the extent I performed, and there’s numerous issues to take from this event,” Sabalenka mentioned. “I imply, as expertise exhibits, that I solely come again stronger and all of those classes this season undoubtedly already made me stronger, however undoubtedly going to encourage me for the subsequent yr to do higher job.”
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