Aryna Sabalenka finds herself in a tough spot.
With just ten days until the US Open main draw, the world No. 1 isn’t in the best shape to defend her title, seek her first Grand Slam victory of the year, and keep her ranking intact.
The 28-year-old experienced her heaviest defeat of the season at the Cincinnati Open on Wednesday night, breaking down at the end of both sets and losing to unseeded 20-year-old Sara Bezilek with a score of 7-6 (7), 6-4 in the round of 16—a personal low for her. This came only 11 days after another disappointing loss to No. 16 Ekaterina Alexandrova in the same stage at the Canadian Open.
This is particularly notable as it marks the first time a player from the Czech Republic has triumphed over a top 10 player.
Given the magnitude of the upset, Sabalenka must be feeling the pressure as she sees her ranking in jeopardy; if Elena Rybakina, currently in second place, progresses to the Cincinnati final, she will take over Sabalenka’s spot.
Rybakina is set to play her quarterfinal match on Thursday night.
Fans and sports commentators were quick to express their shock and concern for Sabalenka as she approaches her final tournament of the year.
Bastien Fakhan, author of “Big 3,” noted on X that Sabalenka felt she’d “lost my identity” and had “mentally stepped away from tennis.”
A fan account tweeted, “I think this will be the worst and most unpleasant U.S. Open for us.” Another user remarked, “Honestly, Aryna Sabalenka seems completely drained after the Sunshine Double. Skipping the US Open might actually be what she needs for a mental reset and get her back in focus for the Australian Open.”
Her frustration peaked during a tiebreak in the first set.
She had a solid lead of 5-1 but ended up getting broken three consecutive times, which allowed Bezirek to create another set point chance.
In a moment of frustration, Sabalenka tossed her racket, causing her damper—a rubber piece that helps with vibration—to fly off somewhere on the court.
While Bezirek readied to serve, Sabalenka and the ball crew scoured the area for the missing equipment.
This left some fans questioning whether Sabalenka should have faced a penalty for her delay. A commentator mused, “If I held up play by tossing my racket, would that be a valid delay? I’m sure there’s another one in her bag.”
Throughout the year, Sabalenka has captured three singles titles, including the Sunshine Double (Indian Wells and Miami Open).
However, her performance since March has taken a downturn.
Since then, she hasn’t made it to the final rounds of tournaments, suffering early exits in the quarterfinals and fourth rounds at Roland Garros and Wimbledon respectively.
After her Wimbledon defeat, Sabalenka confessed she felt “completely drunk” and “wanted to forget about tennis,” marking her earliest Grand Slam exit since the 2022 French Open and her first straight-set loss at a Grand Slam since the 2020 US Open.
While she typically performs well on hard courts—having won two Grand Slams at the Australian Open and US Open—this summer’s hard court swings haven’t yielded the results she hoped for.
Sabalenka’s struggles have opened the path for new talents; Mila Andreeva and Linda Noskova claimed their first Grand Slam titles this year at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, respectively.
As of Thursday morning, Sabalenka is listed as a +320 favorite to win the U.S. Open, according to FanDuel.
The main tournament at the US Open kicks off on August 30th in Queens.
