(Video) Fans Slam Aryna Sabalenka as She Fights Back Tears After WTA Finals Heartbreak – “Why Can’t She Accept the Loss”

Aryna Sabalenka lost a championship clash of the WTA Finals for the second time in her career.

(Video) Fans Slam Aryna Sabalenka as She Fights Back Tears After WTA Finals Heartbreak – “Why Can’t She Accept the Loss”

Aryna Sabalenka tried to fight back tears after WTA Finals defeat to Elena Rybakina (Image via X/The Tennis Letter, Aryna Sabalenka Archive)

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Aryna Sabalenka couldn’t end the WTA season on a high note, as the result was not what she wanted in the year-end championships held in Riyadh. For the second time in her career, Sabalenka suffered defeat in the final.

The first time was against Caroline Garcia in 2022, and this time, her opponent was Elena Rybakina in the final played on Saturday (November 8). When the tennis world started to write off the Kazakh ace, she ended up lifting her career’s first WTA Finals trophy in an hour and 47 minutes with a 6-3, 7-6(0).

Before this season, she had never progressed beyond the round-robin stage. For Sabalenka, it’s the fourth time she lost in a final this season where a Big Title was on the line.

Thank you guys for incredible atmosphere the whole week. I really enjoyed playing in front of you. Thank you so much for the support today, especially maybe. Yeah, not the best performance but yeah… Elena, you were definitely a better player today. You literally smashed me out of the court. So very, very well done. Happy to see you playing your best tennis. Nice comeback at the end of the season. And now, it’s time to enjoy our off-season.

Aryna Sabalenka said during the trophy presentation

The Belarusian ace suffered defeats at the hands of Madison Keys in the Australian Open final, failing to complete the three-peat. Then Mirra Andreeva denied the 27-year-old the Indian Wells trophy, while Coco Gauff beat her in the French Open final.

Thank you everyone who brought this tournament here in Saudi. I’m happy to be part of the process of growing tennis in this beautiful country. Thank you so much… Thank you again who helped me during this week, I really enjoyed my time here. And of course, last but not least, well, I mean, maybe not the result we all wanted today. But… [her team made a heart gesture]- Oh my God! But so many things we didn’t [she broke off as tears welled up]. I guess I’m getting old, I’m getting really sensitive.

Aryna Sabalenka added

Rybakina has improved her head-to-head record to 6-8 over the four-time Grand Slam singles champion. It was her third title of the season following the Strasbourg Open and the Ningbo Open. The Kazakh ace also lifted her first Big Title since winning the 2023 Italian Open.

Fans accuse Aryna Sabalenka of not accepting her defeat

While Aryna Sabalenka did admit that Elena Rybakina played better than her, some fans felt she did not give full credit to the 2022 Wimbledon champion, with some even saying it’s annoying when Sabalenka ends up crying every time she loses an important final. Some fans also think Sabalenka needs to change her coaching team after the disappointments this season.

Aryna Sabalenka
Aryna Sabalenka (Image via X/Roland Garros)

Check out their reactions here:

For Sabalenka, it was her ninth final of the season. The titles that she lifted were: Brisbane International, Miami Open, Madrid Open, and the US Open.

She has also ended the season as the year-end No.1 player for the second consecutive season, while Rybakina, the former World No.3, who did not lose a single round-robin match, gained 1,500 points and will end the season as a No.5 player. She also claimed a record $5.235m in prize money- the largest in women’s tennis history.

En route to the win, the 26-year-old defeated Amanda Anisimova, 2023 WTA Finals champion Iga Swiatek, and Ekaterina Alexandrova (replaced Madison Keys). In the semifinals, she knocked out Jessica Pegula. She has also become the first player representing an Asian country to win the season-ending final. Rybakina also clinched victories over 15 top-10 players, the most this season on the WTA tour.

Also read: Jannik Sinner Reveals Why He Swore at Coach Darren Cahill During Paris Masters: “Sometimes I Am Not Easy”