Sabalenka admits pressure after defeat

Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka admitted that the pressure of chasing a hat-trick of US Open titles made it difficult to control her emotions as her title defence ended with a 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 defeat by Elena Rybakina on Saturday.

Sabalenka struggled to contain her frustration during the final, firing a ball into the crowd before later smashing her racket as Rybakina pulled away in the deciding set.

Sabalenka said the pain of losing final while chasing a third straight title made it difficult to control her emotions.

“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,” Sabalenka said.