'Tough to control emotions' as Sabalenka suffers another near miss

Aryna Sabalenka left Flushing Meadows without the trophy after Elena Rybakina secured a 6‑4, 5‑7, 6‑2 victory to claim her third Grand Slam championship. The win, achieved on the hard courts of New York, marked Rybakina’s ascent to the world No. 1 ranking, ending Sabalenka’s 99‑week reign at the summit and terminating the Belarusian’s 20‑match winning streak at the tournament. The loss meant Sabalenka would finish the season without a major title for the first time since 2022, a notable setback for a four‑time Grand Slam singles champion who had enjoyed considerable success at the event in previous years. After the match, cameras showed Sabalenka sitting in silence with her team, her expression heavy with disappointment. During the final, Sabalenka struggled to contain her frustration against a composed Rybakina, whose consistent performance kept the Belarusian off balance. Her racquet bore the brunt of her exasperation when she slammed it to the floor after conceding a break point in the second set. Following an ace that sealed Rybakina’s victory, Sabalenka flung her racquet away in disgust before offering a brief congratulations. As Rybakina acknowledged the crowd, Sabalenka remained seated and smashed another racquet against the court surface. She also directed an expletive at a cameraperson, urging the operator to move away while she sat with her entourage immediately after the defeat. In her post‑match remarks, Sabalenka acknowledged the difficulty of managing her feelings. “It's truly pugnacious to power your emotions erstwhile you suffer in the last of the Grand Slam and erstwhile you were trying to spell for three-peat,” she said. She added, “So I conscionable wanted to fto it go, due to the fact that if I would clasp it inside, close present oregon present oregon determination connected the court, I wouldn't beryllium capable to accidental a connection oregon I would conscionable spell not truly bully implicit there.” Concluding, she stated, “So I conscionable wanted to fto each of that aggression and disappointment spell outside.”