Four months without a final and three-set issues - Why Aryna Sabalenka is struggling ahead of US Open title defence
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Updated 10/08/2026 at 12:31 GMT+1
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World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka suffered a blow to her US Open preparations as she suffered an early exit in Toronto to continue a concerning recent run of form. The main draw of the final major of the year begins on Sunday, August 30 in New York.
'We are chasing the title' - Sabalenka sets her sights on mixed doubles glory with Djokovic
Video credit: SNTV
Top seed Sabalenka fell to a 6-7(3) 6-4 4-6 last-16 defeat to Ekaterina Alexandrova on Saturday night as the Russian progressed to the quarter-finals and levelled their head-to-head record at five wins apiece.
"I just tried to play every single point as if it was the last one because with her, you don't get a lot of chances during the match," Alexandrova said on court.
"I had a lot today, but I couldn't realise some of them. But honestly, I was trying not to think about the score or anything. Just hit the ball, and that's it. I'm super happy that I could win because after the second set, I thought [the chance] was already past me."
The defeat came as a blow to Sabalenka, who will be eyeing a fifth Grand Slam triumph at Flushing Meadows when the US Open main draw action begins in three weeks.
Sabalenka, since supplanting Iga Swiatek in October 2024, has topped the WTA rankings for almost two years, but her recent form makes for concerning reading.
The Belarusian has not reached a final since March, and now has Elena Rybakina breathing down her neck in the WTA rankings; Sabalenka is on 8,550 points and the Kazakh has 8,056 points.
One WTA 1000 event remains before action gets underway in New York, with the Cincinnati Open giving Sabalenka another chance to gain confidence ahead of her bid for a third consecutive US Open crown.
Sabalenka is still looking for her first major triumph of the season after losing the Australian Open final to Rybakina in January.
Despite that setback, the 28-year-old made a blistering start to the season, winning the other three tournaments she entered. She took the title in Brisbane before claiming the ‘Sunshine Double’ with back-to-back wins at Indian Wells and the Miami Open.
But since defeating Coco Gauff in the Miami final on March 29, Sabalenka has failed to reach a final and has only once made it as far as the semis in any tournament she has entered.
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She suffered defeat to Diana Shnaider in the last eight at Roland-Garros before falling to Naomi Osaka at the last-16 stage at Wimbledon.
A run to the semi-finals of the Berlin Open in June, where she lost to Jessica Pegula, was Sabalenka’s best showing of the last four months.
The hard-court swing should offer her a chance to return to form on her favoured surface; all four of Sabalenka’s major titles were claimed on hard courts, two in Australia and two in New York.
But a three-set defeat to Alexandrova in Toronto highlighted another area of concern.
According to Opta, Sabalenka’s 4-6 record in three-setters in 2026 means she has more defeats in matches going the distance in a single season than any world No. 1 other than Caroline Wozniacki (with seven in 2011) since the WTA rankings were first created in 1975.
Sabalenka’s last two major outings have proved difficult. Her shock defeat to Shnaider at the French Open came after she led by a set and a double break, as she imploded by losing 10 games in a row.
"No thoughts, no emotions," Sabalenka said after that match. "I just want to quit tennis right now. But hopefully, I'll get back on track."
Venus Williams was among those to throw her support behind Sabalenka afterwards, saying it would be a "tragedy for tennis" if the Belarusian quit and explaining that "the inner struggle is real" after sore defeats.
Sabalenka returned at Wimbledon in July, but a fourth-round defeat to Osaka left her making the candid admission: "I f***** it up this year. Next year I'll try to do better."
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'She'll overcome it' - Henman backs Sabalenka to learn from French Open 'meltdown'
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When the question of possibly losing the No. 1 spot in the rankings was raised, Sabalenka said: "Oh, this question, guys. I mean, let's just look at the rankings. Right now, I'm world No. 1.
"Level-wise, today I wasn't world No. 1. Yesterday, I was world No. 1. I don't even want to think about rankings at this point.
"I just want to go, get completely drunk, forget about tennis, and try to get in better shape."
The Belarusian spent time in Mykonos post-Wimbledon in a bid to shed her relative funk, but it remains to be seen if she can find her best form for the upcoming US Open.
Before beginning her singles title defence in New York, Sabalenka will compete in the star-studded mixed doubles alongside 24-time major winner Novak Djokovic.
The event will take place the week before the singles draws begin, with Taylor Fritz/Elena Rybakina, Jack Draper/Jessica Pegula and Casper Ruud/Iga Swiatek among the other slated pairings.
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