Add The New York Post on Google Aryna Sabalenka is in some serious hot water.
Ten days before the U.S. Open main draw, the world No. 1 is looking less poised to defend her title, win her first Grand Slam of the year and keep her prized ranking.
The 28-year-old hit a new low when she suffered her worst loss of the season Wednesday night at the Cincinnati Open, collapsing at the end of both sets to lose to unseeded 20-year-old Sara Bejlek 7-6(7), 6-4 in the Round of 16 — 11 days after Sabalenka fell to No. 16 Ekaterina Alexandrova in the same round at the Canadian Open.
It was the Czech’s first win over a top-10 player.
Feeling the weight of the huge upset, Sabalenka no doubt could also feel her ranking slipping away rapidly as well with No. 2 Elena Rybakina set to take over if she reaches the Cincinnati final.
Fans and voices around the sport were quick to be shocked and concerned for Sabalenka heading into the year’s final slam.
Bastien Fachan, Author of “Big 3,” wrote on X that Sabalenka “lost sight of her identity” and has “mentally checked out of tennis.”
A Sabalenka fan account wrote: “I feel like this will be the worst and most unpleasant US open for us.”
“Honestly, Aryna Sabalenka looks completely drained after her Sunshine Double run. Skipping the US Open could give her the mental reset she needs so she returns sharp and motivated for the Australian Open,” another X user wrote.
Her frustraions boiled over during the tiebreaker in the first set.
Sabalenka got up to a comfortable 5-1 lead. Yet she went on to be broken three times in a row and Bejlek held her serve to create another set-point opportunity.
At that, Sabalenka flung her ranket, which sent her dampener — a rubber device at the bottom of the racket that absorbs string vibration — flying somewhere on the court.
Sabalenka and the ball crew were scurrying around looking for it while Bejlek was waiting to serve for the set.
Many fans wondered if Sabalenka should have been penalized for a time violation.
“Is that a proper delay if you did it by throwing your racket?” the commentator said. “Surely she has another one in her bag.”
Sabalenka has won three singles titles this year, including taking the Sunshine Double (Indian Wells and the Miami Open).
She hasn’t made it to another tournament final since, and fell early at Roland Garros and Wimbledon in the quarterfinals and fourth round, respectively.
After her Wimbledon loss — her earliest Grand Slam exit since the 2022 French Open and the first time she was eliminated in a Grand Slam in straight sets since the 2020 U.S. Open — Sabalenka said she wanted to “get completely drunk” and “forget about tennis.”
She favors the hard-court surface, holding two Grand Slams each at the Australian Open and U.S. Open.
Yet the hard-court summer swing hasn’t brought out anything different within her.
Sabalenka’s struggles have kept the women’s field wide open. Mirra Andreeva and Linda Nosková both won their first Grand Slam titles this year at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, respectively.
As of Thursday morning, Sabalenka is a +320 favorite for the U.S. Open title, per FanDuel.
