Aryna Sabalenka came into the US Open final looking to make history, and a third straight title was on the line, but Elena Rybakina had other plans. The Kazakh walked away with the trophy after beating the defending champion 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
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Devastated by the loss, Sabalenka made a dismissive gesture as the camera panned on her and mouthed “f*** off.” While Sabalenka is known for her emotional meltdowns after a loss, this rubbed off several tennis fans the wrong way.
Rybakina started the better of the two. She broke Sabalenka at 2-3 and the Belarusian finished the opening set with 15 unforced errors, compared to just five from Rybakina. She also received a ball-abuse warning as her frustration started to show.
But Sabalenka did not let the first set decide the match. She began finding her serve and forehand again and stayed in the fight. Rybakina even had two set points at 5-4, but Sabalenka fought them off before breaking at 6-5 to force a deciding set with a 7-5 win.
The third set started with another long game, but Rybakina soon found her opening. She broke Sabalenka for a 2-1 lead and followed it with a hold to move 3-1 ahead. Sabalenka pulled one game back, but Rybakina stayed in control and moved back to 4-2.
The Kazakh then broke again at 5-2 and had the chance to serve for the championship. She did not waste it. Rybakina opened with an ace, survived a double fault and then finished the match with an ace to win her second Grand Slam title.
This also ended Sabalenka’s chance to become only the third woman in the Open Era to win three straight US Open titles. But the result was not the only thing that caught attention.
Tennis Fans React to Aryna Sabalenka’s Camera Moment
“Nice from #sabalenka mouthing ‘f*** off’ to the camera. Terribly sore loser. Rybakina icy cool and a consummate professional. Deserved winner,” commented a fan under the clip as it went around on X.
The fan’s point was about the contrast between the two players. Rybakina stayed composed while Sabalenka’s frustration was clear.
“Did Sabalenka just tell the camera to ‘f… off’? Not all the money in the world can buy restraint and decency,” another fan questioned.
Fans focused less on the result and more on Sabalenka’s reaction as she had already shown her frustration during the match, and the camera moment only added to it.
“Such poor behaviour from Sabalenka icl. I know it’s awful to lose but swearing at the camera like that is sooooo. such a sore loser,” one more fan wrote.
For this fan, the loss itself was understandable, but the way Sabalenka appeared to react afterward became an issue.
“So graceless by Sabalenka yet again. The racket thrown on the way to the net, the cold hug, the ‘f*** off’ to the camera… You don’t have a right to win. She’s better than you. Accept it with grace and dignity, and go improve,” a fan wrote.
The reaction also brought up the moments around the finish, including Sabalenka throwing her racket then picking it up, before shaking hands with Rybalina on the net.
“Sabalenka smashing racquets and asking photographers to ‘f*** off’ in the end is just so so bad… I thought she learnt how to take defeats… This is just terrible,” a fan commented.
The loss was a painful one for Sabalenka, but the fans clearly felt the reaction afterward made the night even more difficult to forget.