Getty Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus at the 2024 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 05, 2024.
Belarusian tennis star Aryna Sabalenka competes in the Grand Slam final at the US Open Tennis Championship on Saturday, September 7. Sabalenka, the No. 2 ranked tennis player in the world, will face Jessica Pegula, ranked No. 6.
While Pegula is competing in her first career major final, Sabalenka, who won the Australian Open in back-to-back years, is looking to clinch her third championship. Cheering Sabalenka on at Arthur Ashe Stadium, her boyfriend, Georgios Frangulis.
In July, Frangulis, who’s Brazilian, posted a photo of the couple on Instagram and Sabalenka made her feelings for the motorsports athlete clear. “My love of my life 🐒 ❤️ 💜 ❤️,” she wrote in the comments section. He responded, “@arynasabalenka my love 💜.”
While some fans expressed surprise at how quickly Sabalenka moved on, others were simply thrilled to see her so happy after such a devastating year. In March, Sabalenka’s ex-boyfriend, Konstantin Koltsov, a former hockey star, died from an apparent suicide, the Miami-Dade Police Department reported, per ESPN. He was 42.
Koltsov, who played for the Pittsburgh Penguins, and Sabalenka, confirmed their relationship in 2021. The 26-year-old said she and the two-time Olympian “were no longer together” at the time of Koltsov’s death, People reported. However, his death, which happened while he was in Florida supporting her appearance at the Miami Open, left her “heartbroken,” she told The Independent in August.
“Looking back, I definitely think that I should have just stopped and just separated myself from tennis, just have a little break, recharge and start things over again.”
Aryna Sabalenka Is Grateful to Have Georgios Frangulis By Her Side After a ‘Difficult Year’
Before Sabalenka defeated Emma Navarro in the semifinals at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, New York, she opened up having Frangulis’ support during such a “difficult year.”
“There was a really tough period where I was really happy to have him by my side, always cheering me up, always making sure that we are doing some fun stuff,” she told People.
“But I make sure I kind of forget about tennis and focus on the good things and enjoy my life. Even when things are going wrong in my career. So yeah, he was my biggest support and yeah, really happy to have him by my side”
GettyGeorgios Frangulis sits behind Jason Stacy, fitness coach of Belarus’s Aryna Sabalenka at the 2024 US Open.
Frangulis is the CEO and co-founder of the superfood company Oak Berry, which named Sabalenka as its brand ambassador in January. “Aryna Sabalenka is a great example of the future of tennis and we are working closely with her to create some really exciting things over the years,” Frangulis said in a company statement at the time. “We can’t wait for our fans to get involved!”
Sabalenka first went public with their relationship on Instagram in May. She captioned the post, “What my days off the court have been looking like recently 😉🫶,” and included a photo of the couple taking a walk in the rain with their arms entwined.
Aryna Sablenka Accidentally Thanked Her ‘Boyfriends’ After Defeating Jessica Pegula at the Cincinnati Open
Aryna Sabalenka after winning Cincinnati:
“Thank you to my boyfriends… that’s my terrible English guys” 😂
Sabalenka struggled to stay healthy following Kolstov’s death and chose not to compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics. However, the break has helped her game, as she won the Cincinnati Open in August, during which she defeated Pegula 6-3, 7-5 in the final.
Afterward, Sabalenka wanted to thank Frangulis, but accidentally said, “Special thank you to my boyfriends… that’s my terrible English guys.” She then added, ‘Thank you to my boyfriend who keeps me happy every day. Thank you so much.”
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Aryna Sabalenka in ‘Love’ With New Boyfriend After Ex’s Death