Aryna Sabalenka facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Aryna Sabalenka

Sabalenka at the 2024 Washington Open
Full name	Aryna Siarhiejeŭna Sabalenka
Native name	Арына Сяргееўна Сабаленка
Country (sports)	Belarus
Residence	Miami, Florida, US
Born	(1998-05-05) 5 May 1998 (age 27) Minsk, Belarus
Height	1.82 m (5 ft 11+1⁄2 in)
Turned pro	2015
Plays	Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Coach	Anton Dubrov
Prize money	US $45,175,621 2nd in all-time rankings
Official website	arynasabalenka.komi.io
Singles
Career record	479–200
Career titles	21
Highest ranking	No. 1 (11 September 2023)
Current ranking	No. 1 (20 October 2025)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open	W (2023, 2024)
French Open	F (2025)
Wimbledon	SF (2021, 2023, 2025)
US Open	W (2024, 2025)
Other tournaments
Tour Finals	F (2022, 2025)
Olympic Games	2R (2021)
Doubles
Career record	90–67
Career titles	6
Highest ranking	No. 1 (22 February 2021)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open	W (2021)
French Open	SF (2019)
Wimbledon	QF (2019)
US Open	W (2019)
Other doubles tournaments
Tour Finals	RR (2019)
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
Wimbledon	2R (2019)
Team competitions
Fed Cup	F (2017)

Aryna Siarhiejeŭna Sabalenka (born May 5, 1998) is a professional tennis player from Belarus. She is currently ranked as the world's No. 1 female singles player by the WTA. She was also once the world's No. 1 in doubles. Aryna has won 21 singles titles on the WTA Tour. This includes four major championships: two at the Australian Open and two at the US Open. She also won nine big WTA 1000 events. In doubles, she won six titles, including the 2019 US Open and the 2021 Australian Open, both with her partner Elise Mertens.

Aryna first became well-known in 2017. She helped the Belarus Fed Cup team reach the finals. This happened even though she and her teammate Aliaksandra Sasnovich were not highly ranked. She finished 2018 and 2019 ranked No. 11 in singles. After reaching two major semifinals in 2021, Aryna climbed to world No. 2. In 2023, she won her first major singles title at the Australian Open. She also became the world No. 1 player that year.

In 2024, Aryna successfully defended her Australian Open title. She also won the US Open and finished the year as the world No. 1. In 2025, she won the US Open again. She also reached the finals at the Australian and French Opens. This made her the year-end No. 1 for the second year in a row. She is one of only seven women to hold the No. 1 ranking for an entire calendar year.

Aryna started playing doubles regularly in 2019. With Elise Mertens, she quickly achieved success. They won the "Sunshine Double" in 2019. This means winning both the Indian Wells and Miami tournaments. After winning the US Open doubles title later that year, she played in the WTA Finals. In 2021, she won the Australian Open doubles title. This made her the world No. 1 in doubles. After that, she focused mainly on playing singles.

Aryna plays with a very strong and aggressive style. She often hits many powerful shots that win points. She also has a very strong serve.

Aryna Sabalenka's Early Life

Aryna Sabalenka was born in Minsk, the capital city of Belarus. Her father, Sergey, was an ice hockey player. He passed away in 2019. Aryna started playing tennis by chance. She once said, "One day, my dad was just driving me somewhere in the car. He saw tennis courts on the way. So he took me to the courts. I liked it and enjoyed it, and that's how it was. That's how it started." She began training at the National Tennis Academy in Minsk in 2014. In 2015, the Belarusian Tennis Federation encouraged her to play in professional events. This was instead of junior tournaments, even though she was still young enough for junior competitions.

Aryna's Tennis Journey

Starting in Juniors and Early Professional Years (2012-2016)

Aryna started playing tennis on the ITF Junior Circuit a bit later than some. She mostly played in U14 and U16 Tennis Europe tours. She did not play in big junior Grand Slam events. Her highest junior ranking was No. 225. She won her first junior doubles title in Belarus in 2013. In 2014, she won her first junior singles title in Finland.

Aryna began playing in professional tournaments in 2012. These were smaller events on the ITF Women's World Tennis Tour. She won her first two professional titles in 2015 in Turkey. These wins helped her enter the top 300 WTA rankings in 2016. That year, she played for her country in the Fed Cup for the first time. She also won two bigger titles, which helped her finish 2016 ranked No. 137 in the world.

Breaking into the Top 100 (2017)

Sabalenka at the 2017 Washington Open

In 2017, Aryna played in her first main draw match on the WTA Tour. This was at Wimbledon in July. She won her first Grand Slam match there. Later that year, she reached her first WTA semifinal at the Tashkent Open. A few weeks later, she made it to her first WTA tournament final at the Tianjin Open. She played against her childhood hero, Maria Sharapova, but lost. This great performance helped her enter the top 100 rankings for the first time, reaching No. 76. She ended the year by winning a big title at the Mumbai Open.

Rising Star and First Big Titles (2018)

Sabalenka at the 2018 Wimbledon Championships

In 2018, Aryna started playing only on the WTA Tour. She reached her second career final at the Ladies Open Lugano. This put her into the top 50 players. She also reached the final at the Eastbourne International. There, she beat her first top-ten player, Karolína Plíšková.

During the North American summer season, Aryna continued to improve. She beat world No. 2, Caroline Wozniacki, at the Canadian Open. She then reached the semifinals at the Cincinnati Open. A week later, she won her first WTA Tour title at the Connecticut Open. She then had her best Grand Slam result yet, reaching the fourth round at the US Open. She even beat world No. 5, Petra Kvitová.

After the US Open, Aryna won her biggest title so far at the Wuhan Open. She beat world No. 6, Elina Svitolina, there. This success helped her climb to No. 11 in the world. At the end of the year, she was named the WTA Newcomer of the Year.

Top 10 in Singles and Doubles Success (2019)

Mertens and Sabalenka at the 2019 French Open

In 2019, Aryna won three more titles, all in China. She started the year by winning the Shenzhen Open. She made her top-10 debut in singles after the 2019 Australian Open. She defended her title at the 2019 Wuhan Open, beating world No. 1 Ashleigh Barty in the semifinals. She also won the WTA Elite Trophy at the end of the season.

In doubles, Aryna teamed up with Elise Mertens. They quickly became a strong pair. They won the Indian Wells Open and the Miami Open, completing the "Sunshine Double." They had their best result at the US Open, winning their first Grand Slam doubles title together. This made Aryna debut in the top 10 in doubles, at No. 6.

Consistent Performance and More Titles (2020-2021)

Aryna continued her strong play in 2020. She won the Qatar Open, her third Premier-5 title. After the tennis season restarted due to the global health situation, she won two more titles in Europe. These wins helped her finish the year in the top 10 for the first time.

Sabalenka at the 2021 French Open

In 2021, Aryna started with a 15-match winning streak. She won the Abu Dhabi Open. At the Australian Open, she and Elise Mertens won the doubles title. This made Aryna the world No. 1 in doubles in February 2021. She then focused on singles. She won the Madrid Open, her fourth WTA 1000 title. This put her into the top 5 in singles. At Wimbledon, she reached her first Grand Slam semifinal. She also reached the semifinals at the US Open. These results helped her reach a career-high singles ranking of world No. 2.

Overcoming Challenges and Reaching Finals (2022)

The year 2022 was a bit challenging for Aryna. She faced some difficulties with her serve. However, she still showed great fighting spirit. She reached her first final of the year at the Stuttgart Open. She also made it to the semifinals of the US Open for the second year in a row. At the end of the season, she qualified for the WTA Finals. She reached the final there, beating the world No. 1, Iga Świątek, in the semifinals.

Grand Slam Champion and World No. 1 (2023)

Sabalenka at the 2023 US Open

The year 2023 was a huge success for Aryna. She started by winning the Adelaide 1 title without losing a single set. Then, at the Australian Open, she won her first major singles title! She beat Elena Rybakina in a thrilling final. This made her the second Belarusian woman to win a major singles title. After this win, she rose to No. 2 in the rankings.

She continued her strong form, reaching the final at Indian Wells. She also won her third title of the year at the Madrid Open, beating Iga Świątek in the final. Aryna reached the semifinals of the 2023 French Open and Wimbledon. At the US Open, she reached the final. After the tournament, she became the world No. 1 tennis player for the first time! She was named the ITF World Champion for the season.

Defending Titles and Year-End No. 1 (2024)

Sabalenka at the 2024 US Open

Aryna started 2024 by reaching the final of the Brisbane International. She then went on to win the Australian Open again, defending her title without losing a set! This was a fantastic achievement. She also won the Cincinnati Open in August.

In September, Aryna won the US Open, claiming her third major title. She continued her great form by winning her third Wuhan Open title. In October, she regained the world No. 1 ranking. She finished the year as the world No. 1 for the first time, a truly amazing accomplishment. In December, she was named the WTA Player of the Year.

Continued Success and Second Year-End No. 1 (2025)

Sabalenka at a 2025 Miami Open press conference

Aryna began 2025 by winning the Brisbane International. She reached the final of the Australian Open for the third time in a row. She also won her first Miami Open title. Aryna claimed her third Madrid Open title. She reached the final of the 2025 French Open.

After Wimbledon, Aryna won her second consecutive US Open title. This was her fourth major title overall. She became the first singles player to defend a US Open title since Serena Williams in 2014. She also reached the semifinals of the Wuhan Open. At the WTA Finals, Aryna reached the final. She finished 2025 as the year-end No. 1 for the second year in a row.

Representing Her Country

Playing for Belarus in the Fed Cup

Aryna first represented Belarus at the Junior Fed Cup in 2014. She then made her debut for the senior Belarus team in 2016. The team, led by Victoria Azarenka, qualified for the top-tier World Group for the first time.

In 2017, the Belarus Fed Cup team made it all the way to the final. This was a big surprise, as they were considered underdogs. Aryna and Aliaksandra Sasnovich led the team. Aryna helped clinch important wins against the Netherlands and Switzerland. In the final, Belarus played against the United States. Aryna beat the reigning US Open champion, Sloane Stephens. However, Belarus eventually lost the final match. This success helped make women's tennis more popular in Belarus.

In 2018, Aryna won both her singles matches against Germany. But the team lost in the deciding doubles match. In 2019, Belarus again played Germany in the quarterfinals. Aryna won both her singles matches to help Belarus win the tie. They reached the semifinals, where they lost to Australia.

Tennis Rivalries

Aryna vs. Iga Świątek

Aryna and Iga Świątek have played each other 13 times since 2021. Iga has won 8 of these matches, and Aryna has won 5. Their matches are often very exciting. One memorable match was the 2024 Madrid Open final. Iga won in three sets, saving three championship points. Aryna won the 2023 Madrid Open final against Iga. They also played in the 2025 French Open semifinal, which Aryna won.

Aryna vs. Elena Rybakina

Aryna and Elena Rybakina have played 14 times since 2019. Aryna leads their matches 8-6. Aryna beat Elena in the 2023 Australian Open final to win her first Grand Slam title. Elena won their match at the 2023 BNP Paribas Open final. Aryna defeated Elena in the 2025 Wuhan Open quarterfinals. Elena then beat Aryna in the final of the 2025 WTA Finals.

Aryna vs. Coco Gauff

Aryna and Coco Gauff have played 12 times since 2020. Their head-to-head record is tied at 6–6. They have played in big matches at major tournaments. Coco beat Aryna in the 2023 US Open final. Aryna defeated Coco in the 2024 Australian Open semifinals. Coco won against Aryna in the final of the 2025 French Open. Aryna later beat Coco in the 2025 WTA Finals semifinals.

How Aryna Plays Tennis

Sabalenka serving

Aryna is a baseliner, which means she plays mostly from the back of the court. She has a very powerful and aggressive style. She hits the ball with great strength. Her game is all about taking control of points and hitting shots that win immediately. She has a very strong serve, which can reach speeds of 200 kilometers per hour (124 mph). This allows her to hit many aces.

Sometimes, her serve can be a bit inconsistent, leading to double faults. She worked hard to improve her second serve in 2022. Her groundstrokes (shots hit after the ball bounces) are also very powerful and deep. Tennis experts have described her game as "big babe tennis personified" because of her strength.

While Aryna can hit many winners, she sometimes also makes unforced errors. Her coaches helped her learn to choose her shots better. She prefers playing on grass and hard courts. She once said she really enjoys playing on grass. She won her first clay court title at the 2021 Madrid Open.

Aryna often makes loud sounds, called grunting, when she hits the ball. She said she doesn't even hear herself when she plays. She hopes it doesn't bother her opponents.

Coaches and Team

Aryna has worked with several coaches throughout her career. Dmitry Tursunov was her main coach for a while. Currently, her primary coach is Anton Dubrov. In 2025, former professional tennis player Max Mirnyi joined her team as a consultant.

Her coaching team in 2025 includes Anton Dubrov, Max Mirnyi, fitness trainer Jason Stacy, and hitting partner Andrei Vasilevski.

Sponsorships

Sabalenka sponsored by Nike for sportswear and Wilson for racquets

Aryna is sponsored by Nike for her sportswear and shoes. Nike started designing special outfits for her in 2023. She also uses Wilson racquets, specifically from their Blade range.

In June 2025, Aryna became a global ambassador and part-owner of IM8. This is a health-supplement brand co-founded by former footballer David Beckham.

Personal Life

Aryna has a tiger tattoo on her left arm. This has earned her the nickname "The Tiger." She studied at the Belarusian State University in a sports program. Her tennis idols when she was growing up were Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova. Her father, Sergey, who was an ice hockey player, passed away suddenly in 2019 at age 43.

Her former boyfriend, Konstantin Koltsov, passed away in March 2024 at age 42. Aryna later shared that they had separated before this sad event. She has been in a relationship with Georgios Frangulis since 2024.

Television and Film

Aryna appears in the tennis TV series Break Point. This show premiered on Netflix in January 2023.

Images for kids

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  Sabalenka lifting the 2024 US Open singles trophy

See also

In Spanish: Aryna Sabalenka para niños