World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka’s racket throw nearly hits ballboy at Wuhan Open
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Aryna Sabalenka is no stranger to losing her cool during a tennis match, but she may have taken it a little too far in a heated match against world No. 1 American Jessica Pegula.
During the women’s singles semi-final match at the Wuhan Open in China, Sabalenka was angry because her backhand shot went out of bounds and threw her tennis racket onto the court.
While it’s not uncommon for tennis players to feel frustrated, Sabalenka’s racket nearly hit the ball boy next to the umpire’s chair, prompting some harsh words from the Sky Sports broadcast team.
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Aryna Sabalenka competes against Jessica Pegula of the United States in the semifinals on Day 8 of the Wuhan Open at the Optics Valley International Tennis Center on October 11, 2025 in Wuhan, China. (Robert Prange/Getty Images)
“This is dangerous territory for Sabalenka, this semi-final just exploded in the last 10 of the 15 minutes,” said one broadcaster. Sun.
“Sabalenka received a warning for racquet abuse, but she’s lucky it wasn’t something more.”
ARYNA SABALENKA WON US CLEARLY WITH AMERICAN STAR AMANDA ANİSİMOVA
Sabalenka was probably trying to throw her racket toward her bench, but the ball boy was standing between there and the umpire’s chair. In the video, he was seen quickly raising his hand to acknowledge his wrongdoing.
The match was in full contention at the time, with the third set tied 5-5 after Sabalenka lost three straight games to Pegula. She lost the 11th game, losing to Pegula despite fighting for a tiebreaker.
Sabalenka, the last champion of the US Open, will lose to Pegula 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-2), and Pegula will advance to the final against American Coco Gauff. Pegula lost to Gauff in sets of 6-4, 7-5.
Aryna Sabalenka reacts to Jessica Pegula of the United States during their Women’s Singles Semifinal match on Day 8 of the 2025 Wuhan Open at the Optics Valley International Tennis Center in Wuhan, China on October 11, 2025. (Wang He/Getty Images)
Sabalenka, 27, has had bouts of frustration in past matches, with some wondering why there were “crickets” on the field considering she nearly injured a spectator.
“How did Sabalenka not get a warning for throwing her racket?” wrote an X user. “He almost hit the ball too, he could have been disqualified. [Iga] Swiatek would be burned at the stake for this.”
This tournament comes after Sabalenka defended her US Open crown last month. He achieved his fourth Grand Slam title in a season in which he could have achieved more.
Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus reacts during her last 32 match against Rebecca Sramkova of Slovakia on Day 5 of the 2025 Wuhan Open at the Optics Valley International Tennis Center in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, on October 8, 2025. (WUHAN OPEN OFFICIAL 2025/VCG via Getty Images)
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While Sabalenka was defeated in the Australian and French Open finals, she was eliminated from Wimbledon in the semi-finals.
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