NEW YORK — Aryna Sabalenka broke her racket at the players’ bench moments after Elena Rybakina ended her two-year reign as US Open champion, providing a final image of the frustration that followed the defending champion throughout Saturday’s final.
Rybakina defeated Sabalenka 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 in two hours and 21 minutes to win her first US Open title. She finished the contest with an ace before celebrating on Arthur Ashe Stadium as Sabalenka returned to her seat.
Sabalenka then broke her racket at the bench, according to Tennis Majors. The reaction came after a defeat carrying consequences far beyond one match: her 19-match US Open winning streak was over, her bid for three successive New York titles had failed and she would finish a season without a Grand Slam trophy for the first time since 2022.
Frustration had appeared much earlier
The racket incident was not Sabalenka’s first emotional moment of the final. In the opening set, she double-faulted on break point at 2-2, handing Rybakina the first break without making her opponent hit a return.
Sabalenka subsequently fired a ball toward the crowd and received a code-violation warning for ball abuse from chair umpire Marijana Veljovic. ESPN commentators reportedly said the ball struck the bottom of a courtside camera near a cameraman. No spectator was reported injured.
“Rybakina breaks first. Sabalenka double faulted on break point and gets a code violation for ball abuse,” tennis reporter José Morgado wrote during the match, as quoted by Athlon Sports.
The warning did not change the score, although another conduct violation could have resulted in a point penalty. Sabalenka recovered sufficiently to win the second set 7-5, showing that the early incident alone did not decide the championship.
Rybakina takes Sabalenka’s crown
Rybakina pulled away in the deciding set and closed the match with her 10th ace. The WTA described the result by saying Rybakina had taken “far more than the ranking — she took her crown.”
The 27-year-old will become the first player representing Kazakhstan to reach world No. 1. She also became only the second woman after Steffi Graf in 1995 to defeat the reigning No. 1 in two Grand Slam finals during the same calendar year. Both victories came against Sabalenka—the Australian Open in January and now the US Open.
Rybakina collected a record $5.5 million champion’s prize, while Sabalenka was left processing another major-final defeat against the same opponent. The Associated Press confirmed that the payout was the largest winner’s prize in Grand Slam history.
The closing scenes offered a sharp contrast: Rybakina holding the trophy after completing the victory with an ace, and Sabalenka breaking her racket after seeing her New York streak finally end.
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