--- title: "A Meltdown on Court and a $7,500 Fine: How the US Open Final Ended Sobolenko's Reign at the Top" description: "The US Open organizers fined Belarusian tennis player Aryna Sabalenka $7,500 for smashing her racket and her meltdown after losing the tournament final to Elena Rybakina." date: 2026-09-16T06:44:00.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/sabalenko-fine-us-open-final tags: [arina-sobolenka, us-open, womens-tennis, elena-rybakina, fine] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # A Meltdown on Court and a $7,500 Fine: How the US Open Final Ended Sobolenko's Reign at the Top ![Aryna Sabalenka in an orange dress on the US Open court during the final match, with spectators and Deloitte advertising in the background](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/16/sobolenko-shtraf-us-open-final/sobolenko-shtraf-us-open-final-1.webp) ## 🎯 Key Points - Sabalenka was fined $7,500 under the article on improper handling of equipment after the US Open final. - The defeat to Elena Rybakina (4-6, 7-5, 2-6) ended the Belarusian's 99-week run at the top of the rankings. - Fines of $5,000 each were also issued to Belinda Bencic, Arthur Fils, Arthur Fery, Polina Yatsenko, and Francisco Cerundolo. The 2026 US Open women's singles final will be remembered not only for the change of champion but also for the emotional breakdown of one of the tournament's main protagonists. Belarusian tennis player Aryna Sabalenka lost the decisive match to Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina in three sets, 4-6, 7-5, 2-6, and it was precisely this defeat that prompted disciplinary sanctions from the organizers. According to the outlet [Sport RBC.UA](https://sport.rbc.ua/ukr/tennis/isteriku-finali-organizatori-us-open-oshtrafuvali-1789540457.html), citing a post by journalist Michal Samulski on the social network X, Sabalenka was fined $7,500 for improper conduct during and after the match. ### A Final That Snatched Away the Summit For Sabalenka, this defeat was especially painful for one simple reason: it interrupted her long stay at the top of the world rankings. According to the organizers' official report, she had held the number one spot in women's tennis for 99 weeks, and that streak came to an end in precisely this final. By losing to Rybakina, the Belarusian not only lost the title but also ceded the lead in the world classification, which, logically, explains the scale of the player's emotional reaction on court. ### What Happened on Court and After The disciplinary problems began during the match itself: during the point Sabalenka received an official warning for aggressive actions with the ball (ball abuse), sending it into the stands. However, the climax came after the match ended, when the player, according to eyewitness accounts, completely lost control of her emotions. First, she smashed her racket against the court several times, and then she reacted sharply to the cameraman filming her disappointment. It was precisely these post-final actions that formed the basis of the fine issued. ### The Size of the Fine and the Offense Charged According to the official report of the US Open organizers, the $7,500 fine was imposed on Sabalenka under the article "Abuse of Racquets or Equipment" — improper handling of equipment. It is important to distinguish two episodes: the warning during the match was issued for actions with the ball, while the monetary penalty is linked to the broken racket and the conduct after the match. The organizers did not stop at a single sanction: fines of $5,000 each were also issued to several other participants — Belinda Bencic, Arthur Fils, Arthur Fery, Polina Yatsenko, and Francisco Cerundolo — which indicates a systemic, rather than isolated, response to disciplinary violations at this tournament. ### The Flip Side of the Final: Context Beyond the Court Around the 2026 US Open final, discussion centered not only on the sporting side but also on the "everyday" flip side of the tournament: in open materials, alongside the topic of Sabalenka's fine, questions were raised relating to the tax and organizational details concerning Elena Rybakina. The combination of these factors — a painful defeat, the loss of the number one ranking, a public confrontation with the cameraman, and a large fine — makes this final one of the most discussed episodes of the season. For Sabalenka, however, the story does not end with the sanction: ahead lie a return to the rankings and new tournament cycles, where emotional resilience will become as important a resource as technique. ## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification - [For the tantrum in the final: US Open organizers fined Sabalenko for a smashed racket](https://sport.rbc.ua/ukr/tennis/isteriku-finali-organizatori-us-open-oshtrafuvali-1789540457.html) - Первичный источник: штраф 7500 долларов, статья Abuse of Racquets or Equipment, счет 4:6, 7:5, 2:6, 99 недель в топ-1, другие штрафы по 5000 долларов. - [Sabalenko's fine and meltdown, Rybakina's taxes: the flip side of the US Open final that no one talks about](https://www.sportmk.ru/sports/2026/09/15/shtraf-i-sryv-sobolenko-nalogi-rybakinoy-iznanka-finala-us-open-o-kotoroy-molchat.html) - Подтверждает тему штрафа и срыва Соболенко, добавляет контекст «изнанки» финала (включая налоговые детали по Рыбакиной). - [Candidates for the head coach post at "ML Vitebsk," Sabalenko's fine after the US Open — a digest ...](https://pressball.by/news/other/kandidaty-na-post-glavnogo-trenera-ml-vitebsk-shtraf-dlya-sobolenko-posle-us-open-dajdzhest-sobytij-15-sentyabrya/) - Дайджест от 15 сентября подтверждает факт штрафа Соболенко после US Open. - [Sabalenko smashed her racket and landed a fine at the US Open](https://www.mk.ru/sport/2026/09/15/sobolenko-razbila-raketku-i-popala-na-shtraf-v-us-open.html) - Подтверждает эпизод с разбитой ракеткой и назначение штрафа на US Open. ## ❓ FAQ ### Q: For exactly what was Sabalenka fined at the US Open? **A:** According to the organizers' official report, the $7,500 fine was imposed under the article "Abuse of Racquets or Equipment" — for improper handling of equipment, in particular for smashing her racket after the match and her conduct following the match. ### Q: What was the score of Sabalenko's final loss? **A:** Aryna Sabalenka lost to Elena Rybakina in three sets, 4-6, 7-5, 2-6. ### Q: Who else did the US Open organizers fine? **A:** Fines of $5,000 each were issued to Belinda Bencic, Arthur Fils, Arthur Fery, Polina Yatsenko, and Francisco Cerundolo. ### Q: Why was the defeat so painful for Sabalenko? **A:** The loss in the final ended the Belarusian's 99-week run at the top of the world rankings, which intensified the player's emotional reaction.