A Dominant Start That Quickly Unraveled
Aryna Sabalenka began 2026 as the undisputed force on the WTA Tour. She completed the rare Sunshine Double, winning both Indian Wells and Miami back-to-back, a feat achieved by only four women before her. That run built a commanding 3,000-point cushion at the top of the world rankings and looked like the foundation for another historic season.
Then the wheels came off. Since Miami, Sabalenka has gone 17-7, with losses mounting in unsettling fashion. A quarter-final exit at Roland Garros and a fourth-round defeat at Wimbledon were bad enough, but the real concern has been collapses in far less pressurized settings. She squandered first-set leads against Hailey Baptiste in Madrid, Sorana Cirstea in Rome, and Diana Shnaider at Roland Garros. More recently, she blew a 5-1 tie-break lead and a 4-1 second-set advantage before losing to 20-year-old Czech player Sara Bejlek in Cincinnati. A shaky serve also cost her against Ekaterina Alexandrova in Toronto.
Defending Points and Defending Pride in New York
With 2,000 ranking points to defend at Flushing Meadows, the stakes could not be higher. Elena Rybakina now trails Sabalenka by just 434 points, meaning the Belarusian's 99-week run at number one is genuinely at risk if she falls short again.
Sabalenka, who owns four Grand Slam titles (two Australian Opens and two US Opens), remains composed in public, insisting the difficult stretch will ultimately make her tougher and that a return to form is simply a matter of time. Whether that time arrives this fortnight will define her season.
TennisDraw users have overwhelmingly backed Sabalenka as their pick to lift the trophy in New York once more.
