Aryna Sabalenka’s defeat to Elena Rybakina in the US Open final was framed by Annabel Croft as a case of self-inflicted damage, with the former British No 1 arguing that Sabalenka’s negativity and lack of respect for her opponent’s level proved costly.

Sabalenka had carried into the match an impressive recent record in New York. She had lost only once at Flushing Meadows over the previous three years, and that lone defeat came against Coco Gauff in the 2023 final. She then won the title in 2024 and 2025 and was chasing a third straight crown, a feat only two women have managed before.

The opening set shifted the momentum. Sabalenka saved three break points in game three, but was broken two games later and Rybakina served out the set. The outgoing world No 1 improved in the second, and a late break in game 13 forced a decider, but Rybakina seized control again with breaks in games three and seven to complete a 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 win.

Croft, speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, said: “It was extraordinary to witness because she had been very negative on herself with her body language in that first set and suddenly the emotions got the better of her,” Croft said on BBC Radio 5 Live.

“I felt like that really contributed to her going down in that first set. She was beating herself.”

Sabalenka’s frustration was plain to see. At one point she smashed a ball into the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd, then threw her racket into the air after the loss was sealed before smashing it again when she returned to her bench.

She will be replaced at No 1 in the WTA Rankings by Rybakina on Monday. During the on-court interviews, Sabalenka said: “That’s the last thing I want to do right now is give a speech, but I’ll try my very best.”

After she gathered herself, she added: “Obviously I’m disappointed but I want to congratulate Elena on an incredible year and incredible results. Well-deserved. Enjoy it. Have fun tonight, tomorrow and the end of the season so I can win some titles.”

Croft remained unimpressed, adding: “I think what happened was the minute she started to not respect the level of tennis her opponent was playing, she couldn’t handle it at all.

“You have to respect what they’re putting out there and applaud it but then find ways to dig in and find another way to compete with them.

“It was almost like throwing the toys out of the pram today.”

The Australian Open has spent recent years embracing change, and its crowds have continued to rise year after year.

One of the clearest examples came in Melbourne this season with the introduction of the One Point Slam, a one-point contest that matched professional players with amateurs and became one of the tournament’s most discussed features. The event also welcomed Roger Federer back to the venue for the first time since retirement and staged a number of exhibition matches. Even so, further alterations could still be on the horizon for 2027.

New Tennis Australia chief executive Andrew Abdo, who has replaced Craig Tiley, has floated the possibility of significant changes to the scoring structure at the Melbourne event.

“Maybe in the future, Slams at the different rounds, or at different lengths of duration, maybe we’re not playing best-of-five all the way through, maybe the point scoring system changes,” said Abdo.

That suggestion has already drawn criticism from fans on social media, many of whom remain strongly attached to the sport’s traditions.

The debate is not new. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal both defended best-of-five-set matches at the majors, with Nadal saying in 2020: “I mean, winning Grand Slam, playing best-of-three demand to the player something else, no? Stronger mentally, stronger physically, be solid for such a long time and for such a long two weeks. So I really believe that’s the right thing to do.”

Federer was equally firm. “It won’t happen, the best of three stuff,” said the Swiss icon. “The tradition of tennis is having best-of-five at the majors and that will remain. Those who want best-of-three don’t really have the best interests of tennis at heart.”

There has also been support for change from other leading players. Novak Djokovic said in 2020: “I am more of a proponent of best-of-three sets everywhere. You asked me why. I just feel that we have enough tournaments, enough matches during the year.

“We have the longest season of all sports, any sport in the world. Tennis has the longest season from January 1 to end of November. Literally every single week you have tournament somewhere.”

If such a shift does arrive in 2027, Djokovic could be one of the main beneficiaries. He has already been pushed through several five-set Grand Slam matches this year, including against Joao Fonseca and Felix Auger-Aliassime, and those contests have left the 24-time Grand Slam champion heavily drained.

Alexander Zverev’s 2026 US Open has already become a test of stamina as much as skill, with the world No. 2 again dragged into a long night at Flushing Meadows. His second-round match against Quentin Halys finished at 02:15 on Friday morning in New York after four hours and 33 minutes, extending an opening stretch that has already swallowed more than nine hours on court.

The top seed had begun the tournament with an even longer battle, spending four hours and 53 minutes to defeat Lorenzo Sonego in five sets in the first round on Tuesday. Two matches in, Zverev has now completed two five-setters and logged nine hours and 26 minutes of match time, a figure that places him in a unique spot in Grand Slam history. He has become the first top seed in the Open Era to play two five-setters in the opening two rounds of a Grand Slam.

Zverev’s win over Halys came by 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (7-3), 6-7 (3-7), 6-3, but the German was frank about how he saw his level. “The performance was quite s***, to be honest, but I won, and that’s the most important thing,” the top seed said. “I’ve been here for another four and a half hours, 02:15am again, but that is what I go to the gym for, that’s what I go to the track for, that’s what I train for, to be able to come out on top in these difficult moments.

“You know, when you’re not playing your best, when you’re not hitting winners left and right, just getting through these kind of matches.

“To be honest, I hope at some point I will start to play better, but for now I am happy to be in the third round.”

The draw now looks more manageable. Zverev will next meet 25th seed Alejandro Tabilo, while 13th seed Lorenzo Musetti has already fallen to wildcard Dane Sweeny in the second round. With no other top-20 player standing in his way until at least the last eight, the path has opened further after early exits for third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime, sixth seed Alex de Minaur and 12th seed Rafael Jodar.

If Zverev continues, he is projected to face 14th-seeded Learner Tien or 17th seed Jakub Mensik in the quarter-final, then possibly fifth seed Flavio Cobolli or ninth seed Taylor Fritz in the semi-final. The bottom half of the draw still includes second seed Carlos Alcaraz, seventh seed Daniil Medvedev, eighth seed Ben Shelton and 11th seed Frances Tiafoe.