World number one Aryna Sabalenka had a meltdown that could’ve ended her Wuhan Open run in the worst way possible. In a heated semifinal against American Jessica Pegula, Sabalenka lost her cool, tossed her racquet, and came dangerously close to hitting a ballboy.
Sabalenka, who was aiming for her fourth Wuhan title after wins in 2018, 2019, and 2024, looked solid early on. She breezed through the first set 6-2, but Pegula wasn’t done. The American fought back, taking the second set 6-4 and forcing a decider.
Things got tense in the final set. Sabalenka was up 5-2 and seemed on track for another final, but Pegula rallied hard. When a tight backhand from Sabalenka drifted just wide, frustration took over. The 27-year-old Belarusian hurled her racquet toward the bench. It bounced back toward the court, missing a ballboy and cameraman by inches.
If that racquet had hit anyone, Sabalenka would have been instantly disqualified. Realizing how close she’d come, she raised an apologetic arm right away.
Aryna SabalenkaThe Sky Sports commentator summed up the moment: “The racquet goes flying and who has she hit there with the racquet? That is dangerous territory for Sabalenka, this semi-final has exploded into life in the last 10 to 15 minutes. Sabalenka gets a warning for the racquet abuse, but she is lucky it is not more. Shocking behaviour.”
Despite the chaos, the match went on. Pegula held her nerve through a tense tiebreak, winning 7-6 (7-2) and snapping Sabalenka’s incredible streak of 19 consecutive tiebreak victories.
After the match, Pegula reflected on the win. “For what I did in the tie-break, I’m just really proud of myself. I’ve played so much tennis the last few weeks, so many three-set matches, but I feel like I’m very tough right now and I’m just using that (feeling) as best as I can.”
Pegula now moves on to face Coco Gauff in an all-American final, while Sabalenka will have to cool off and regroup after one of the wildest outbursts of her career.