Aryna Sabalenka is having a good time at the Berlin Tennis Open. As the No. 1 seed in the WTA 500 event, the 27-year-old beat Rebeka Masarova in straight sets in the second round after having a first-round bye.
In a quarterfinal thriller packed with action against her long-time rival Elena Rybakina, Sabalenka upset the Kazakh in a tight three-setter, 7-6(6), 3-6, 7-6(6). She took her head-to-head over Rybakina to 7-4 and advanced to the semifinals for the first time in Berlin, where she next will face 2023 Wimbledon champion Markéta Vondroušová.
After her heroics at the tournament, she received some well-deserved love from Ana Helena Puccetti, the mother of her boyfriend, Georgios Frangulis, as she sent out a warm message to her.
Aryna Sabalenka Finds Both Victory and Warmth in Berlin
Following her nail-biting win, Sabalenka took to Instagram to share her elation with her followers. Her update included a selfie with the fans, an adorable photo of her holding a mini bouquet, with a cheeky caption: “Kisses for semis.”
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That was when Puccetti stepped in with her supportive emoji-filled comment.
Sabalenka has been dating Brazilian businessman Frangulis since the beginning of 2024.
Last year, the couple made their romance public and were seen closer than ever, with Frangulis, the owner of health foods brand Oakberry, following her to tournaments to support her.
Sabalenka Will Lock Horns With Vondroušová for the Eighth Time
Sabalenka will meet Vondroušová for the eighth time on the WTA Tour, and the former leads the latter with a 4-3 head-to-head record. They last played in the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix quarterfinals in Stuttgart, where the Czech triumphed 3-6, 6-3, 7-5. The winner of the match will be facing Liudmila Samsonova or Wang Xinyu in the final.
Sabalenka made her debut in Berlin in 2021 as the event’s top-seeded player. After receiving a bye to the second round, she was defeated in three sets by Madison Keys, 4-6, 6-1, 5-7. Her 2022 season ended prematurely when she lost her first-round match to Veronika Kudermetova.
In 2023, again a top seed, Sabalenka reached the second round by defeating qualifier Vera Zvonareva in straight sets, then lost again to Kudermetova, who was a wildcard entry this time, 2-6, 6-7(2).
In the WTA 500 tournament’s last season, Sabalenka was the second seed. She had a bye to round two and defeated Daria Kasatkina to advance into the quarterfinals in Berlin for the first time. Her run was ended prematurely as she retired against Anna Kalinskaya.
