Aryna Sabalenka Forced to Apologise Over Treatment of Wuhan Open Ball Boy

Aryna Sabalenka has been forced to apologise to a ball boy following a furious outburst at the Wuhan Open that could have seen her disqualified. The tennis world number one, who was seeking to win the competition for a fourth-straight time, began to lose her cool as the pressure ramped up in the deciding set of her semi-final clash with Jessica Pegula.

With the match level at one set apiece after two sets, Sabalenka had looked on course to book her place in the final as she led 5-2 in the third. A gutsy fightback from American Pegula, however, levelled the set at 5-5, at which point Sabalenka.

Sensing she was losing her grip on the match, Sabalenka exploded with rage after sending a ball narrowly out at the end of an intense rally. Her actions, though, nearly had some serious consequences.

Sabalenka Risked Disqualification at Wuhan Open

Immediately after losing the point, Sabalenka recklessly launched her racket off court in the direction of a ball boy.

"The racket goes flying and who has she hit there with the racket? That is dangerous territory for Sabalenka," remarked the commentator for Sky Sports. Replays later showed that the racket had only narrowly avoided making contact with both the youngster and a cameraman.

Had the racket struck either party, the defending champion would likely have been thrown out of the man and the tournament immediately. As it was, she only received a warning from the umpire for racket abuse. She may well have saved herself because she immediately held her hand up in apology as soon as she realised what she had done.

"She is lucky it is not more," admitted the commentator.

While Sabalenka may have escaped disqualification, she couldn't find a way to recover her previous momentum. She even failed to take advantage of four Pegula double-faults in the final game of the match, ultimately falling to a 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 defeat.

Prior to the defeat, Sabalenka had been on a 20-match winning streak at the tournament. It was a run that saw her become just the fourth female player to win their first 20 main draw matches in a single WTA level event since 1990. Her record at Wuhan was something the Belarusian was fiercely proud of, which is perhaps why she was so emotional when her 2025 campaign crumbled against Pegula.

The Wuhan collapse mirrors much of Sabalenka's 2025 season. Despite winning the US Open, she suffered heartbreaking defeats in both the French Open final and the Wimbledon semi-finals.

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