Aryna Sabalenka
Who Is Aryna Sabalenka?
Aryna Sabalenka is a Belarusian professional tennis player. She was born on May 5, 1998, in Minsk, Belarus. She holds the WTA World No. 1 ranking in women’s singles.
She stands at 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) and has secured four Grand Slam singles titles — the Australian Open in 2023 and 2024, and the US Open in 2024 and 2025.
Alongside her frequent rivals Iga Świątek of Poland and Coco Gauff of the United States, she is one of the most dominant players of her generation.
Furthermore, she ended 2025 as World No. 1 for the second straight year, posting the most Tour match wins of any player with 63 and setting a new WTA single-season record in prize money with $15,008,519.
Her story, however, is about far more than trophies. It is a story of resilience. It is a story of grief, grit, and an unbreakable will to succeed.
Early Life: Minsk, Ice Hockey, and a Father’s Dream
Growing Up in Belarus
Aryna Sabalenka grew up in Minsk, the capital of Belarus. She is the daughter of Yuliya Sabalenka and former professional ice hockey player Sergey Sabalenka.
Her father was the person who first introduced her to tennis when she was a child in Minsk. That early introduction would change everything.
The Pact That Drove Her Forward
Sabalenka and her father made a heartfelt pact: Aryna would win two Grand Slam titles before turning 25. That promise became the engine of her ambition.
When she won the Australian Open in 2023, she said: “It was really important. Of course he’s my biggest motivation. He’s been everything for me.”
Professional Debut (2015)
Aryna Sabalenka began her professional WTA career in 2015 at 16 years old. She did not spend much time on the juniors circuit, and she had only minimal success on the ITF Women’s Circuit starting in 2012.
Therefore, she skipped the usual junior pathway. She went straight for the big stage. That boldness defined her from the very beginning.
Career Timeline: From Newcomer to World Dominator
First WTA Title and Early Rise (2018)
By the end of her second season, Sabalenka had entered the top 100 ranking of the WTA and won her first WTA 125 title. In 2018, she won her first WTA title at the Connecticut Open.
She was also named WTA Newcomer of the Year at the end of the 2018 season. Her arrival on the tour had been noticed. Moreover, it had been celebrated.
First Grand Slam Title — Doubles (2019)
At the 2019 US Open, she won her first Grand Slam doubles title while partnered with Elise Mertens. This doubles triumph was important. It showed she could handle Grand Slam pressure. It was just the beginning.
The Rise to Contention (2021–2022)
In 2021, Sabalenka won the Madrid Open — one of her three Madrid titles overall. She also reached the Wimbledon semi-finals that same year, signaling she was ready to compete for the sport’s biggest prizes.
The highlight of her 2022 season was a runner-up finish at the WTA Finals in Fort Worth. She was knocking on the door. It would not be long before she broke it down.
2023: The Year Everything Changed
2023 was the year Aryna Sabalenka became a champion.
She won her first Grand Slam title at the 2023 Australian Open, defeating Elena Rybakina in a thrilling 4–6, 6–3, 6–4 final. She had won 11 matches in a row heading into the decider.
Sabalenka had been dominant throughout the tournament. She reached the semi-final round without losing a single set and had won 20 consecutive sets heading into her first major final.
Later that year, she reached the US Open final, where she fell to rising American star Coco Gauff. Following the tournament, she rose above Iga Świątek to become World No. 1 for the very first time on September 11, 2023.
Additionally, her 2023 season included three titles overall and a season record of 55 wins and 14 losses.
2024: The Australian Open–US Open Double
In 2024, Sabalenka captured the Australian Open title for the second straight year. She faced Chinese star Zheng Qinwen in the final, winning with a dominant 6–3, 6–2 performance.
However, 2024 also brought unthinkable personal pain. In March, she received devastating news about her ex-boyfriend while on a practice court in Miami (addressed in detail in the Personal Life section below). Despite everything, she kept playing. She kept fighting.
In 2024, she reached seven finals across the year. She defended her Australian Open crown, won the US Open, and also won titles at Cincinnati and Wuhan. She recaptured the No. 1 ranking in October and finished the season as WTA Year-End No. 1 for the first time in her career.
She also suffered a right shoulder injury. The injury forced her to retire during her quarterfinal match at the Berlin Ladies Open and withdraw from the 2024 Wimbledon Championships. Nevertheless, she bounced back with remarkable speed.
Her 2024 season record stood at 56 wins and 14 losses across four titles won.
2025: A Historic, Record-Breaking Season
Sabalenka was ranked No. 1 during all 52 weeks of 2025. That achievement alone speaks volumes. No dips. No interruptions. Just dominance, week after week.
She won the 2025 Brisbane International, the Madrid Open, the Miami Open, and then the US Open.
At the US Open, she defeated Amanda Anisimova in straight sets in the final to win her fourth Major title.
For her performance in 2025, she won the Laureus World Sports Award for Sportswoman of the Year. Moreover, she was also named the WTA Player of the Year for a second time.
2026: Making History Continue
The 2026 season began with Sabalenka winning the Brisbane International for the second consecutive year, the Indian Wells title, and the Miami Open — becoming the fifth woman to complete the Sunshine Double and the first player, male or female, to do so in both singles and doubles.
She reached her fourth consecutive Australian Open final in January 2026, becoming only the second woman after Martina Hingis to do so.
She also won her 20th consecutive tiebreak at Grand Slams, breaking Novak Djokovic‘s record for the most consecutive tiebreaks won in Grand Slam history. As of the time of writing, her 2026 season record stands at 27 wins and just 3 losses, with three titles claimed.
Playing Style: Power, Precision, and Pure Aggression
Sabalenka is known for her aggressive, risk-taking style and powerful forehand and serve.
She hits the ball harder than almost anyone on tour. Her serve is a weapon. Her forehand is a wrecking ball. But there is more to her game than raw power.
She is renowned for her explosive, aggressive style of play that has propelled her from a junior career in Minsk to a rapid ascent on the professional circuit.
Since Belarus’s alignment with Russia during the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, she has competed as a neutral athlete under International Tennis Federation and WTA rules, without displaying national flags or anthems — a policy applied to Belarusian and Russian players due to sanctions.
Grand Slam Record: Four Titles and Counting
| Year | Tournament | Result | Opponent in Final |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Australian Open | Winner | Elena Rybakina |
| 2023 | US Open | Runner-Up | Coco Gauff |
| 2024 | Australian Open | Winner | Zheng Qinwen |
| 2024 | US Open | Winner | Jessica Pegula |
| 2025 | Australian Open | Runner-Up | Madison Keys |
| 2025 | Roland-Garros | Runner-Up | (TBC) |
| 2025 | Wimbledon | Semi-Final | — |
| 2025 | US Open | Winner | Amanda Anisimova |
| 2026 | Australian Open | Runner-Up | — |
Season-by-Season Overview
| Season | Titles | Win-Loss Record | Year-End Ranking | Prize Money |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 3 | 55–14 | No. 2 | $8,202,653 |
| 2024 | 4 | 56–14 | No. 1 | $9,729,260 |
| 2025 | 4 | 63–12 | No. 1 | $15,008,519 (WTA record) |
| 2026 | 3 (so far) | 27–3 | No. 1 | $5,083,826+ |
Personal Life: Triumph Over Tragedy
The Death of Her Father (2019)
Her father, Sergey Sabalenka, died from meningitis in 2019 at the age of 43. He was the person who first introduced her to tennis when she was a child in Minsk.
Sabalenka revealed that she and her mother repeatedly tried to get medical help for him before he was finally taken to the hospital, but by then it was too late.
His loss was devastating. But it also fueled her. She had made a heartfelt pact with him to win two Grand Slam titles before turning 25. She kept that promise.
“It was something unexpected. He was young. He was 43. And I didn’t want to say that, but I think people should know,” she later shared.
The Passing of Konstantin Koltsov (2024)
Sabalenka made her romance with former professional hockey player Konstantin Koltsov public in June 2021.
Koltsov died by apparent suicide in March 2024 while in Florida to support Sabalenka’s appearance at the Miami Open, but they were no longer together at that time.
The heartbreaking news reached Sabalenka while she was practicing on the tennis courts in Miami, where she was approached by police on March 18.
“I was fighting with the cop — like, I couldn’t accept it,” she told Vogue in a May 2026 cover story.
“I lost my father and tennis helped me to go through that tough loss. So at that moment, I thought I had to just keep going, keep playing, keep doing my thing to separate my personal life from my career life.” However, she later reflected: “Looking back, I would say that a better decision would have been to step back, reset, and recharge.”
Finding Love Again: Georgios Frangulis
Sabalenka has found love again with her boyfriend — now fiancé — Georgios Frangulis. According to Vogue, Frangulis is a Greek Brazilian businessman and the founder of Oakberry, an acai-bowl brand with more than 800 stores in over 50 countries.
He has helped her heal her broken heart from two terrible tragedies. Their relationship is a bright chapter after years of profound loss.
Awards and Recognitions
Sabalenka has received multiple awards due to her professional success. She was named WTA Newcomer of the Year at the end of the 2018 season.
Furthermore, she has won the following major honours:
- Laureus World Sports Award — Sportswoman of the Year (2025)
- WTA Player of the Year (2024 and 2025)
- WTA World No. 1 — First achieved September 11, 2023; held for all 52 weeks of 2025
- WTA Single-Season Prize Money Record — $15,008,519 in 2025
