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Aryna Sabalenka is no stranger to losing her cool during a tennis match, but the world number 1 may have gone a little too far during a heated match against American Jessica Pegula.
It was a women’s singles semi-final match at the Wuhan Open in China where Sabalenka, frustrated after her backhand went out of bounds, threw her tennis racket onto the court.
While it is not uncommon for tennis players to show frustration, Sabalenka’s racket throw nearly hit a ball boy near the umpire’s chair, prompting harsh remarks from the PK Press Club broadcast team.
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Aryna Sabalenka in action against Jessica Pegula of the United States during the semi-final on day 8 of the Wuhan Open at 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 has exploded in the last 10 or 15 minutes,” one broadcaster said, according to The Sun.
“Sabalenka gets a warning for racket abuse, but she’s lucky it wasn’t more.”
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Sabalenka was probably trying to throw the racket toward his bench, but the ball boy was standing between that spot and the referee’s chair. The video quickly showed her raising her hand to acknowledge wrongdoing.
At the time, the match was in a stalemate with the third set tied 5-5 after Sabalenka lost three straight games to Pegula. She then lost the 11th game, and although she fought to force a tiebreak, she fell to Pegula.
Sabalenka, the reigning US Open winner, would lose 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-2) to Pegula, who advanced to the final against fellow American Coco Gauff. Pegula fell to Gauff in straight sets, 6-4, 7-5.
Aryna Sabalenka reacts against Jessica Pegula of the United States in the women’s singles semi-final on Day 8 of the 2025 Wuhan Open at Optics Valley International Tennis Center on October 11, 2025 in Wuhan, China. (Wang He/Getty Images)
Sabalenka, 27, has suffered bouts of frustration in previous matches, with some wondering why there were “crickets” on the pitch given that one almost injured a spectator.
“How did Sabalenka not get a warning for throwing her racket?” wrote user X. “She almost hit a kid too, that could have been a disqualification. [Iga] Swiatek would have been burned alive for that.”
This tournament came after Sabalenka defended her crown at the US Open last month. She won her fourth Grand Slam title in a season where she could have had more.
Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus reacts during the women’s singles round of 16 against Rebecca Sramkova of Slovakia on day 5 of the 2025 Wuhan Open at Optics Valley International Tennis Center October 8, 2025 in Wuhan, Hubei province of China. (WUHAN OPEN 2025 OFFICIAL/VCG via Getty Images)
Sabalenka fell in the finals of the Australian and French Opens, while exiting Wimbledon in the semi-finals.
