Sabalenka fined $7,500 (Rs 7.21 lakh) for racket abuse in 2026 US Open final; other fines listed
Aryna Sabalenka was fined $7,500 (Rs 7.21 lakh) for racket abuse during the 2026 US Open final in New York. The sanction followed her loss to Elena Rybakina in the championship match at Flushing Meadows.
Sabalenka’s defeat to Rybakina was her fifth Grand Slam final loss and her second major loss of the 2026 season, and it ended her bid for a third consecutive major title in New York as Rybakina secured her first Grand Slam win. From the opening set Sabalenka showed visible frustration on court, culminating in multiple disciplinary incidents that drew umpire penalties.
The match’s first code violation came in the opening set when Sabalenka smashed a ball into the stands; chair umpire Greg Allensworth cited ball abuse when issuing the warning. In the second set she hit a ball away near a cameraman, an action the report noted "could have attracted harsh penalties if she had struck either the cameraman or the ball boys."
Rybakina took an early break in the third set while Sabalenka continued to voice expletives to herself and her team, and she eventually slammed and broke her racquet as Rybakina closed out the match with an ace. The article described those actions as court abuse and racquet abuse, and it recorded that Sabalenka was later heard using the F-word when the camera zoomed in on her while she sat with her team. Rybakina is out here celebrating and Sabalenka is out here destroying her racket 🕊️🕊️🕊️ pic.twitter.com/TqNYLoiscA
Sabalenka earned $2,800,000 as the runner-up but, after the $7,500 fine, she left Flushing Meadows with $2,792,500 in prize money before taxes. The report summarised the official ruling as fining her for misconduct, racket abuse and multiple disciplinary violations during the women’s singles final.
Tournament organisers issued a number of penalties across the event, covering offences such as racquet abuse, court abuse, ball abuse and unsportsmanlike conduct. The largest fine cited in the coverage was handed to Argentine qualifier Luisina Giovannini, who was fined $20,000 (Rs 19.23 lakh) after retiring 17 minutes into her qualifying round one match against Lucia Bronzetti, having trailed 0-5 while citing an ankle injury.
The tournament applied rules that allow sanctions if a player’s performance or effort falls below professional Grand Slam standards in assessing Giovannini’s case. For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram