ARYNA SABALENKA smashed her racquet and appeared to tell a camera operator to “f*** off” moments after her US Open final defeat.
The two-time defending champion was dethroned by Elena Rybakina, losing 6-4 5-7 6-2 on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
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Rybakina had already condemned Sabalenka to losing her 99-week streak as world No1 by reaching the latter stages of the tournament.
And the beaten finalist was in a fiery mood throughout the fierce contest.
Sabalenka, 28, was warned by umpire Greg Allensworth for whacking a ball away after double faulting to concede a break of serve in the first set.
The No1 seed fought tooth and nail to pinch the second set and force a decider.
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But ice cool Rybakina played the better tennis in the third set to win the title, her first at Flushing Meadows.
Sabalenka remained composed enough to shake her opponent’s hand and even give her a cordial congratulatory hug.
But as Rybakina celebrated her win, Sabalenka furiously smashed her racquet on the ground.
As the Belarusian sat waiting for a stage to be built so that the trophy ceremony could commence, a camera operator filmed her and her team.
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When the four-time Major singles champion noticed herself on the big screen, she waved her hand in frustration before appearing to say “f*** off” towards the camera.
Speaking on court during the subsequent ceremony, Sabalenka said: “The last thing I want to do right now is give a speech.
“Obviously I am disappointed but I want to congratulate Elena on an incredible year, an incredible result. Well deserved, enjoy it, have fun tonight and tomorrow.
“And have fun until the end of the year, so I can win some titles.
“I wish I could have performed a little bit better. But I guess next year…”
Sabalenka then cut her speech short as she was overcome with emotion.
On her racquet throwing antics, Sabalenka later added during her press conference: “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 three-peat.
“So I just wanted to let it go, because if I would hold it inside, right now or here or there on the court, I wouldn’t be able to say a word or I would just go not really nice over there.
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“So I just wanted to let all of that aggression and disappointment go outside.”
Sabalenka’s defeat condemned her to a first calendar year without a Major title since 2022.
It also capped off a disappointing summer that had previously seen her fail to even reach a quarter-final since before Wimbledon.
The dominant star had looked more like herself during wins over Linda Noskova and Jessica Pegula in the latter stages in New York.
But new world No1-elect Rybakina, who also beat Sabalenka in January’s Australian Open final, proved to be too good in Saturday’s showpiece.
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Sabalenka cheekily threw down the gauntlet to her rival as she challenged her to match her streak as world No1.
She said, with a smile: “99 (weeks)? Well, that’s amazing. Let’s see if Elena can beat me in that. If she continues to play like that, then I’m in trouble.”
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