Rybakina ends Sabalenka’s US Open title defence, denies her a three-peat

New York: Aryna Sabalenka's bid for a historic US Open three-peat ended in frustration Saturday as Elena Rybakina defeated the two-time defending champion 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 in the final.

Sabalenka struggled to contain her emotions during the 2-hour, 21-minute match, smashing a ball into the stands and receiving a warning before yelling at herself and striking her racket against the court. After the match, she destroyed another racket.

The Belarusian was trying to become only the third woman to win the US Open three consecutive times. Instead, she finished the year without a Grand Slam title for the first time since 2022.

"I just wanted to let all of that aggression and disappointment go outside (on the court)," Sabalenka said. "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 (a) three-peat, so I just wanted to let it go."

Sabalenka said expressing her frustration was necessary, while also praising Rybakina shortly after the trophy ceremony. But the 28-year-old remained disappointed with her own performance.

"I wish I could perform a little bit better, but I guess next year," Sabalenka said. "Obviously, not really happy with the level I played (at)."

The defeat came in Sabalenka's fourth consecutive appearance in the US Open final. She committed 35 unforced errors, with the mistakes proving costly against Rybakina.

"I was just out there competing, trying to do my best with what I had," Sabalenka said. "Not good enough."

Sabalenka had lost to Coco Gauff in the 2023 final, when the American enjoyed strong home support. This time, however, the crowd largely backed Sabalenka as she attempted to fight her way back into the match.

"At some point I felt like, Oh my God, I feel American," Sabalenka said. "I just wish I could win it and feel the support even more. Not this year."

Sabalenka had held the No. 1 ranking for 99 consecutive weeks entering the final. Despite failing to win a major this season, she said her run to the final after a difficult summer gave her reasons to remain optimistic.

"I'll just keep working hard and keep improving my tennis," Sabalenka said. "There's lots of things to take from this tournament. As experience shows, I only come back stronger, and all of these lessons this season definitely already made me stronger. Definitely going to motivate me for the next year to do a better job." (AP)