From the Australian Open to Wimbledon, whenever there’s a major tournament, Sabalenka is bound to face defeat against American players.

Speaking of Belarusian player Sabalenka, she is well-known among many fans. She secured her first tour title in 2018. Each year, Sabalenka has shown notable improvement. By the 2023 season, she reached the pinnacle of being ranked number one in the world. However, despite winning two WTA 1000 tournaments in Miami and Madrid this year, she has repeatedly lost to American players in Grand Slam events. So, what could be the reason behind this? Let’s explore in this article.

Interestingly, Sabalenka first reached the last 16 of a Grand Slam at the Australian Open back in 2021. In 2023, she made an impressive comeback after losing the first set, winning two sets in a row to defeat Kazakhstan's Rybakina and claiming her first Grand Slam title. In last season’s Australian Open final, she faced China's Zheng Qinwen, who was making her debut in a Grand Slam final, and Sabalenka showed no mercy, allowing her opponent to win only five games, successfully defending her title.

This year, after a commanding first-round victory over American player Stephens, who had previously reached a Grand Slam final, Sabalenka achieved five consecutive wins, marking her fifth appearance in a Grand Slam final. With no losses this year and facing American player Keys, who had often lost to her in the past, it seemed winning the Grand Slam title would be easy. However, Keys unexpectedly took the first set. Even though Sabalenka won the second set and pushed the match to a deciding set, the momentum was no longer on her side. In the final set, Keys clinched victory with a score of 7-5, winning her first Grand Slam title. Little did anyone know, this was just the beginning of Sabalenka's defeats to American players in Grand Slam tournaments this year.

In late May, at Roland Garros, Sabalenka, who is typically considered not strong on clay, achieved six consecutive wins to reach her first French Open final. During this time, she even defeated Poland's Swiatek, a four-time French Open champion. In the final, Sabalenka faced American player Gauff, whom she had recently beaten in straight sets in the WTA 1000 Madrid final. Therefore, Sabalenka didn’t take her opponent lightly. Sure enough, after winning the first set in a tiebreak, she was just a step away from the title. However, in the following sets, Gauff mounted a comeback, winning two sets in a row to claim her first French Open title. Consequently, Sabalenka had to accept the reality of losing to an American player in a Grand Slam final for the second time since the Australian Open.

In early July, at Wimbledon, Sabalenka achieved five consecutive wins, reaching the semifinals for the third time in her career. However, in her previous two semifinal appearances at Wimbledon, she suffered disappointing defeats. Would this be the time she breaks that curse? In the semifinals, her opponent was another American player, Anisimova. This marked Anisimova's first appearance in a Wimbledon semifinal, and she had a favorable record against Sabalenka in their previous encounters. In this match, despite Sabalenka giving her all and even pushing the match to a deciding set, she still lost to her opponent, coincidentally with all three sets ending in scores of 6-4.

Thus, from the Australian Open to Wimbledon, Sabalenka has consistently lost to American players at crucial moments, allowing her opponents to achieve new milestones in their careers. So, will Sabalenka face American players again at the US Open? If they meet again, will she be able to overcome her opponents and break the curse? Let’s wait and see. That’s it for today’s tennis story; we’ll continue tomorrow.(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Yixin Jushi)