Aryna Sabalenka just crushed her US Open second-round opponent in a blazing 53 minutes, but if you thought the world number one was feeling great after that 6-1, 6-1 demolition of Polina Iatcenko, think again. Even after one of the quickest Grand Slam wins of her career, the tension was absolutely palpable. Sabalenka didn’t look entirely happy despite sweeping aside the US Open debutant, and then she had a spiky exchange with a reporter after the match. It’s clear there’s more going on than just tennis for the two-time defending champion.
Chasing History, But With Edge
Sabalenka’s mission at the US Open is huge: she’s gunning to become only the third woman ever to win three successive titles, following legends like Chris Evert and Serena Williams. Her win over 22-year-old qualifier Iatcenko was ruthless, clocking in at 53 minutes, with Sabalenka racking up 24 winners compared to Iatcenko’s measly three. Iatcenko, ranked 160th in the world, looked a bundle of nerves in the biggest match of her career, even taking a bathroom break early in the match for a mental reset. Sabalenka, on the other hand, held to love in less than 90 seconds to clinch the first set and never looked back on court. This kind of performance should boost confidence, but it definitely didn’t offer a true test of where Sabalenka’s overall game level is right now.
A “Strange Season” and the Looming Threat
This US Open is a critical moment for Sabalenka, who’s aiming for her first major title of what she’s called a “strange season.” She had a storming start to 2026, reaching the Australian Open final and winning back-to-back titles at Indian Wells and Miami. Losing to Elena Rybakina in Melbourne was her only defeat in the first 27 matches of the year! But after that “Sunshine Double,” her win-loss record dipped to 17-7 leading into the US Open, and she’s only made one WTA semi-final in the last five months. She admitted before the tournament that she’d been “dealing with several things.” That dip is showing, and it means the world number one ranking is totally on the line. Sabalenka *must* lift the trophy again to have *any* chance of stopping Rybakina from taking her top spot. Even if Sabalenka retains the title, Rybakina would still rise to the summit by just reaching the semi-finals. When a reporter asked if she was “getting serious” now that the tournament was underway, Sabalenka fired back with, “Oh yeah, I wasn’t serious before that. Next question.” Then she took umbrage at the suggestion she’d been “partying,” saying, “What kind of question is that? Just because I posted some activities with brands, you think that I’ve been partying [and] not training?” The pressure is clearly getting to her.
Sabalenka is set to play Uzbekistan’s Kamilla Rakhimova in the third round. Can she channel that intensity into another dominant performance and silence the critics, or will the mental game prove too much for the champ this time around? This whole situation is wild to watch unfold!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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