'Sore loser' - Aryna Sabalenka causes controversy over two things she did after US Open final loss to Elena Rybakina
Aryna Sabalenka has been slammed by tennis supporters after her furious reaction to her defeat against 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, while the defeat means Sabalenka will end the year without winning a Grand Slam title for the first time since 2022. There was also added frustration for the Belarusian, with Rybakina becoming the new world No. 1 and replacing her opponent after Sabalenka had spent 99 weeks at the summit.
Sabalenka made her frustrations known after the match as she smashed her racket against the court and then appeared to swear at a camera operator who filmed her post-match reaction.
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Aryna Sabalenka causes controversy over reaction to US Open defeat
Sabalenka was criticised by tennis supporters who labelled her a 'sore loser' after her frustrating defeat to Rybakina at Flushing Meadows on Saturday night.
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In the immediate aftermath of the loss, she was captured smashing her racket into the ground as her opponent took in the crowd's applause.
"Sore loser as always. She needs to grow up," wrote one social media user, while another added: "She lost because she didn't have patience with it; if she had played like in the second set, she would've won."
Shortly afterwards, Sabalenka was joined by her team courtside as they prepared for the trophy presentation ceremony, when a camera operator zoomed in on her reaction. The 28-year-old quickly noticed the camera and appeared to swear down the lens.
"This girl could use a little bit of humility," one supporter replied to the social media post. Another stated: "Aryna is divine when she wins; when she loses, she's unbearable, a sore loser."
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Aryna Sabalenka defends her US Open reaction
Sabalenka has struggled to cope with the weight of expectation she has placed on herself during what has been a frustrating calendar year.
After defending her US Open title last year, she targeted further Grand Slam success but has been unable to get over the line in any of them.
She narrowly lost to Rybakina at the Australian Open and then imploded at the French Open when, already a set ahead, she threw away a 4-1 lead in the second set of her quarter-final against Diana Shnaider before losing the third set 6-0.
Sabalenka then suffered her earliest Grand Slam exit in four years when she lost to Naomi Osaka in the fourth round at Wimbledon, before her defeat at the US Open this weekend.
"It's really tough to control your emotions when you lose in a final of a Grand Slam and when you were trying to go for a 3-peat," she said after the loss. "If I were to hold it inside, right now or on the court, I wouldn't be able to say a word. I would go not really nice over there. I wanted to let go of all that aggression and disappointment outside."
Rich Fay