Aryna Sabalenka cut a forlorn figure as she sat staring into space following a painful defeat by Elena Rybakina in the US Open final.
As Rybakina celebrated her third Grand Slam title following a 6-4 5-7 6-2 win in New York, cameras pictured Sabalenka deep in thought as she sat in silence with her team.
At a tournament which has delivered so much success for two-time champion Sabalenka, the disappointment the 28-year-old has faced in the past week leaves her with plenty to ponder.
Not only has Rybakina replaced Sabalenka as the world number one after 99 weeks at the summit, she has now ended the Belarusian’s 20-match winning streak at Flushing Meadows.
Defeat also means Sabalenka will end the year without winning a Grand Slam title for the first time since 2022.
For four-time Grand Slam singles champion Sabalenka, the disappointment was palpable.
Throughout the final, faced with a composed Rybakina who put together an outstanding performance, Sabalenka could not keep her frustrations at bay.
Her racquet felt the brunt of her exasperation as she slammed it to the ground after offering a break point to Rybakina in the second set.
After Rybakina sent an ace past her to secure victory, Sabalenka flung her racquet away in disgust before congratulating her opponent. As Rybakina waved to the crowd, Sabalenka sat on her chair and smashed another racquet against the floor.
Sabalenka also used an expletive as she told a cameraperson to go away as she sat with her team immediately after defeat.
“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 said afterwards.
“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.
“So I just wanted to let all of that aggression and disappointment go outside.”
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