World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka is already looking ahead to the next challenge after her early Rome exit. The Belarusian superstar was seen in Paris with her boyfriend, Brazilian businessman Georgios Frangulis, as the couple arrived in the city ahead of the 2025 French Open.
Sabalenka seemed to be soaking up the City of Light as she gets ready to begin her latest Grand Slam quest on the historic red clay of Roland Garros.
Aryna Sabalenka Prepares for Her Eighth French Open Campaign
Sabalenka arrived in Paris just days after losing in the Italian Open quarterfinals. Seeded No. 1, she had a first-round bye and appeared to dominate in the early rounds, beating Anastasia Potapova, 2020 Australian Open winner Sofia Kenin, and Marta Kostyuk to reach the quarterfinals. However, her Rome campaign ended abruptly against eighth seed Zheng Qinwen, who beat Sabalenka in straight sets. This was Zheng’s first victory over the Belarusian in their seven career meetings on the WTA Tour.
Even after the setback at Rome, Sabalenka seems to be in good spirits as she gears up for the French Open. Her boyfriend, Georgios Frangulis, the entrepreneur behind the acai brand OakBerry, posted glimpses from the couple’s day in Paris. On his Instagram stories, Frangulis posted photos of the idyllic Parisian streets and a candid moment featuring Sabalenka enjoying dessert at one of OakBerry’s Paris stores.
This year marks Sabalenka’s eighth main-draw appearance at Roland Garros, after she made her main-draw debut in 2018. In 2023, she had her best performance when she advanced to the semifinals, where she lost to Karolína Muchová. Last year, the three-time Grand Slam champion had a quarterfinal finish.
Iga Świątek, one of Sabalenka’s top rivals over the years, also got to Paris early to begin preparations for the 2025 French Open. The four-time French Open winner did not waste time returning to business after suffering a surprise third-round defeat at the hands of 29th seed Danielle Collins at the Italian Open, where she was beaten in straight sets 6-1, 6-0.
Aryna Sabalenka Gets First Signature Apparel With Nike
Nike has launched its first customized clothing for World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, marking a new milestone in their collaboration. The personalized T-shirt features Sabalenka standing with her arms raised high against a dark background. The core of the design is a tiger, an ode to her forearm tattoo. The Nike swoosh has been discreetly placed at the bottom of the garment.
The crowd was brutal to Coco Gauff. It was terrible, they did her bad. Wait they will be coming to New York.
Am so hurt the way they treated our Coco.