Aryna Sabalenka had spent two weeks trying to hold onto everything she had built at the US Open.
By Saturday night, both the trophy and the No. 1 ranking were gone.
Sabalenka lost to Elena Rybakina 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 in the women’s final, ending her bid for a third consecutive US Open title and snapping a 20-match winning streak at Flushing Meadows. Rybakina also replaced her atop the WTA rankings, ending Sabalenka’s 99-week reign at No. 1.
When Sabalenka was handed the microphone during the trophy ceremony, the disappointment was still raw.
“Honestly, I don’t know,” Sabalenka said when asked what she was feeling.
She paused, visibly fighting back emotion.
“That’s the last thing I want to do right now is give a speech, but I’ll try my very best,” she said.
It was a rare moment of vulnerability from one of the most imposing players in women’s tennis.
Sabalenka Gives Rybakina Her Flowers
Sabalenka quickly turned the focus toward Rybakina, congratulating the new champion on what has become a career-defining season.
“I want to congratulate Elena on an incredible year, on incredible results, and well deserved,” Sabalenka said.
She even managed a joke through the disappointment, telling Rybakina to enjoy the victory “till the end of the season, so I can win some titles.”
The respect was fitting after another bruising battle between two of the tour’s biggest hitters.
Rybakina controlled the decisive set and finished off her first US Open championship and third Grand Slam title. She also became just the third woman this century to win the Australian Open and US Open in the same season.
For Sabalenka, the loss carried more weight than a normal defeat.
She entered the final trying to become the first woman since Serena Williams to win three consecutive US Open titles. Instead, Rybakina ended that run while taking the No. 1 ranking Sabalenka had held for nearly two years.
Sabalenka Admits Disappointment After US Open Loss
Sabalenka did not hide how much the moment hurt.
“Obviously, I’m disappointed,” she told the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd.
She later thanked her team and friends before offering perhaps the most revealing line of the ceremony.
“I wish I could perform a little bit better, but I guess next year,” Sabalenka said.
The frustration had already spilled out moments earlier. Sabalenka struggled with the pressure of chasing the three-peat and showed visible frustration during the match, including smashing her racket after the defeat.
She also acknowledged how much New York has come to mean to her.
“I really felt like home here,” Sabalenka said. “Cannot wait to come back next year.”
That relationship has been built over years of deep runs and two championships. The US Open had become the tournament most closely associated with Sabalenka’s dominance.
On Saturday, though, Arthur Ashe Stadium belonged to Rybakina.
Sabalenka left without the trophy and without the No. 1 ranking, but her final words made one thing clear: she already has next year in mind.
Aryna Sabalenka Chokes Up in Emotional Message After Losing US Open Crown