The new world number one Aryna Sabalenka has had an eventful month so far. Sabalenka had her hands full this season, collecting trophies and accolades along the way. The Belarussian, who dazzled at the Flushing Meadows, looked absolutely ravishing at the New York Fashion Week.
American tennis player Taylor Fritz turned heads with his debut at the New York Fashion Week recently. Sabalenka, another debutante, was no exception either. Aryna was spotted wearing an Altuzarra sweater, fitted with buckle straps over one shoulder. She completed her look with a pair of white trousers and a Louis Vuitton belt.
Aryna took to Instagram to post a few pictures of herself and clips from the Altuzarra show. She expressed her excitement at attending her first fashion week and hoped to be back again next year.
View this post on Instagram
Aryna has performed consistently throughout the year. She started off the season by winning her maiden Grand Slam title at the Australian Open. While the Belarussian could not replicate her success again, Aryna made deep runs at all the Slams.
Sabalenka’s good run of form saw her through to the finals of the US Open for the first time. In the process, Sabalenka dethroned Iga Swiatek from the top of the rankings. While Coco Gauff eventually defeated Sabalenka in the final, she has much to be proud of.
The 29th woman in history to lift the Chris Evert Trophy 🏆@SabalenkaA begins her reign as WTA World No.1 in singles! pic.twitter.com/wJoxgohy91
— wta (@WTA) September 11, 2023
It was an emotional night for Aryna Sabalenka, who started off strong against Gauff but could not hold on. The match eventually slipped through her fingers.
What could have caused Aryna Sabalenka to lose the final?
Former Australian player and Serena Williams’ ex-coach, Rennae Stubbs, thinks she knows why Sabalenka lost. She echoed Aryna’s statements, that the crowd at the Arthur Ashe Stadium played a role in it.
Sabalenka started well, breaking Gauff’s serve twice to win the opening set 6-2. However, when it looked like she had the match in her bag, Sabalenka started leaking errors.
The crowd was loud in their support of the home-favorite. Aryna was affected when they started cheering any time she made a mistake. Stubbs feels the anxiety finally got to her.
“I think the crowd factor was definitely a part of this match, and there’s no doubt about it. I think Aryna, out of all players, can handle it, she loves the fight and the atmosphere very much like Novak does. But I think even for her it was too much,” she said.
The match may not have gone in favor of Aryna Sabalenka, but she will come back stronger. The journey as the new top-ranked player has only just begun.
