Sobolenko Drew The Fans' Ire After A Controversial Incident In Cincinnati
- 20.08.2026, 23:31
Tennis fans are calling for the Belarusian player to be punished for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Belarusian tennis player Arina Sobolenko angered fans after a controversial incident at the Cincinnati Masters. Tennis fans believe that the world’s No. 1 player cannot handle defeat and are demanding punishment for her behavior.
During the second set of her Round of 16 match against Czech player Sara Beylek, ranked 35th in the WTA rankings, Sobolenko—while trailing—decided to take out her frustration on the ball boy.
By that point, the Belarusian had already lost the first set, and in the first game of the second set, she was trailing 15-40 on her own serve. At that moment, Sobolenko felt that the ball boy had allegedly taken too long to serve her the ball. As a result, with a displeased expression on her face, she hit the ball back with her racket and turned to another ball boy.
Sabalenka is so disrespectful toward the ball kids pic.twitter.com/YJfsbXL6ok
— Corvath Draemir (@Archaicmind3000) August 20, 2026
The Belarusian’s actions sparked a flood of comments online. Many fans criticized her for her disrespectful attitude toward the ball boy.
“This should be considered unsportsmanlike conduct and result in a point loss; it’s rude to the child and rude to tennis. She’s a terrible loser.
“She’s incredibly unpleasant. Fake screams when hitting the ball, rude behavior toward opponents and ball boys and girls, and then fake humor and ‘love for everyone’ in interviews. She’s just a hypocrite.”
“Sobolenko is loud, rowdy, overrated, brazen, and ill-mannered. She’s doing this noble game a disservice. She needs to be removed from the tennis tour as soon as possible.”
“Federer and Nadal would never have acted that way. Of course, she’s angry—she’s under enormous pressure. But at her level, there are no excuses. Think of Roger and Rafa. This looks really bad.”
“If she wins, she’s overjoyed; if she loses, she acts like a little kid,” people write in the comments.
The match between Sobolenko and Beylik ended in a two-set loss for the Belarusian 6:7, 4:6 and a shocking elimination in the round of 16. Depending on the outcome of the tournament in Cincinnati, she could lose her world No. 1 ranking if the second-ranked player from Kazakhstan Elena Rybakina reaches the final.