Can Aryna Sabalenka Repair Her Collapsed Form?
Summary
Aryna Sabalenka’s season has tilted sharply after a strong start, and her fourth-round loss to Sara Bejlek at the Cincinnati Open deepened the slide. Tumaini Carayol argues that the world No 1 is suddenly fighting not just mistakes, but a worrying loss of control and composure.
Performance
Sabalenka opened 2026 by winning 26 of her first 27 matches, including the Sunshine Double in Indian Wells and Miami, but since April she is 17-7 with no finals in her past seven tournaments. The pattern matters because her losses have not been narrow outliers: against Bejlek she led in both sets before unraveling, and that follows a similar collapse against Diana Shnaider at Roland Garros. Carayol’s point is that this looks less like one bad week than a sustained drop in level from a player who has usually been defined by power and resilience.
Counterpoints
Sabalenka says she is “building myself back” and describes the rough patch as part of her journey rather than a sign of deeper trouble.
There is no indication in the piece of injury or major off-court turmoil, so the cause of the slump remains uncertain.
Next Test
The US Open is the next major test. Sabalenka will defend 2,000 ranking points in New York, while Iga Swiatek has narrowed the gap at the top enough that the No 1 ranking may change if Sabalenka does not recover quickly.