Sabalenka vows to return stronger after US Open final defeat

Aryna Sabalenka has vowed to return stronger after seeing her bid for a third consecutive US Open title come to an end, while also surrendering the world No. 1 ranking after a 99-week reign at the top.

The 28-year-old Belarusian was beaten 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 by Elena Rybakina in Saturday’s final, with the Kazakh already guaranteed to take over as the new world No. 1 before the match began.

Despite the disappointment, Sabalenka said she was satisfied with the level of tennis she produced throughout the tournament and believed there were plenty of positives to take from her run in New York.

“I think overall I should be happy with the level I played, and there’s lots of things to take from this tournament,” Sabalenka said.

The defeat marked a significant setback for Sabalenka, who had appeared to be at her best when she powered past world No. 4 Jessica Pegula in the semi-finals.

Instead, she will finish the season without a Grand Slam title for the first time since 2022.

Sabalenka’s year began with another painful loss to Rybakina, who defeated her in the Australian Open final. She subsequently suffered a quarter-final exit at the French Open before being knocked out in the fourth round at Wimbledon.

Her season had also become increasingly difficult since she completed the prestigious Indian Wells-Miami double in March.

Still, Sabalenka believes the setbacks will ultimately make her stronger.

“As experience shows, I only come back stronger, and all of these lessons this season definitely already made me stronger, but definitely going to motivate me for the next year to do better job.”

Sabalenka Feels the Love From New York Crowd

One of the highlights of Sabalenka’s US Open campaign was the passionate support she received from the crowd inside Arthur Ashe Stadium.

The New York fans rallied behind her as she fought back to level the final against Rybakina, continuing to back the Belarusian even as the deciding set began to slip away.

Sabalenka admitted the atmosphere made her feel unusually connected to the American crowd.

“It felt amazing,” Sabalenka said. “Actually, at some point I felt like, ‘Oh, my God, I feel American.'”

She added that she wished she could have rewarded the fans by completing the comeback and lifting the trophy.

“I just wish I could, you know, win it and feel the support even more.”

‘You Have a Target on Your Back’

Losing the No. 1 ranking is another blow, but Sabalenka insisted that her approach will not change when she returns to the tour.

The Belarusian said she expects opponents to continue viewing her as one of the biggest targets in women’s tennis, regardless of where she sits in the rankings.

“I think anyway when you go out there, you have target on your back. Doesn’t matter if you are No. 1, No. 2, 3, 4, whatever it is.”

Her focus now is on improving her game, working harder and returning to winning ways.

“I’ll just keep working hard and keep improving my tennis, my level. Hopefully I will win some more tournaments,” she said.

Pride in Her Historic No. 1 Reign

Despite losing the top ranking, Sabalenka can look back with considerable pride on her time at No. 1.

She has spent 107 weeks as world No. 1 in total, including an impressive run of 99 consecutive weeks that comes to an end on Monday.

When reminded of the length of her latest reign, Sabalenka could only smile.

“Ninety-nine? Well, that’s amazing,” she said. “Let’s see if Elena can beat me in that.”

For Sabalenka, the US Open defeat closes a frustrating Grand Slam campaign — but she leaves New York determined to use the lessons of the season as fuel for a stronger return in 2027.