Aryna Sabalenka responds angrily to criticism about her preparations for the US Open

Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, ranked number one in the world, responded angrily to a journalist who insinuated that her participation in events accompanying the US Open “Flushing Meadows” included “parties and fun,” after her quick victory over Russian Polina Iachchenko 6-1, 6-1, on Wednesday.

According to the British newspaper The Times, Sabalenka, 28, needed only 53 minutes to defeat the world number 160 and qualify for the third round, before she faced in the press conference a question similar to what she was subjected to following her victory in the first round.

Sabalenka refused to link her appearance in off-field events to her preparations for the tournament, and responded to the journalist, saying: “You are joking.” Parties and fun... Why do you even say that? Why do you think this way? What kind of question is this?

The world number one added, before ending the discussion: “Just because I posted some activities that I participated in with brands, you think I was celebrating and not training?”

Sabalenka is seeking to win the US Open title for the third time in a row, and after her comfortable victory over Iachenko at Arthur Ashe Stadium, she expressed her satisfaction with her level and focus.

She said: “I have been working very hard, and I feel that I am starting to move away from trying to achieve perfection on the field. “I know you can't be perfect, so I'm just trying to work with what I have at the moment.”

Sabalenka has not won any tournament since winning the Miami Open title last March, and she needs to win the US Open title within the current two weeks to avoid an entire year without winning a Grand Slam tournament for the first time since 2022.

Sabalenka admitted that she suffered during the middle of the season, explaining that her condition changed on both the mental and physical levels.

“I think I struggled a little bit in the middle of the season,” she said. Again, I will not defend myself or explain why or what happened, but I am happy with my level.

She added: “I can definitely say that I am much stronger mentally than I was in the middle of the season, and I also feel physically stronger. "I feel like I'm back to my level, and all I want is to go into every match with the right focus."

Sabalenka will meet Uzbek Kamila Rahimova in the third round.

All men's and women's football matches in Argentina will stop by the 10th minute, for a minute, in honor of Argentine legend Lionel Messi, who announced his retirement from international football last Monday.

Claudio Tapia, President of the Argentine Football Association, said: “We want to honor Messi’s career with Argentina with a minute of applause in the next round.”

It was decided to stop the matches after 10 minutes of play, because Messi was wearing the number 10 shirt with his country's national team.

The Argentine Football Association also announced, in an official statement on Wednesday evening, that it will display a promotional video in stadiums equipped with screens before the start of the matches.

Messi had a legendary career with the clubs he played for, winning the World Cup in Qatar 2022.

Leo almost won a second consecutive title this summer, but Argentina lost to Spain in the 2026 World Cup final.

Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka continued her strong performances in the US Open tennis tournament, after sweeping Russian qualifier Polina Yatsenko, 6-1, 6-1, to reserve her place in the third round.

Sabalenka, the first seed, wasted no time in imposing control of the match under the lights of Arthur Ashe Stadium. The first set was decided in just 24 minutes. The Belarusian player is seeking to win her third consecutive title in New York, and equal the achievement of legends Serena Williams and Chris Evert.

Sabalenka said to the fans who celebrated her after achieving her sixteenth consecutive victory in the tournament: “I am very happy to play in front of you. The evening hours here are the best.” She added: “I am satisfied with my level, satisfied with my focus, and happy to have overcome this match.”

Sabalenka continued to put pressure on Yatsenko, ranked 160th in the world, at the beginning of the second set, taking advantage of her strength and accuracy. She won her opponent's opening service game, then maintained her serve without losing any points in the next game, quickly approaching the match.

Despite losing her serve in the fourth game of the second set, the 28-year-old player immediately regained her balance and responded by breaking her opponent’s serve to advance (4-1), before steadily moving towards victory and booking a match in the next round against Kamila Rakhimova.