Aryna Sabalenka
Aryna Sabalenka (Belarusian: Арына Сяргееўна Сабаленка; born 5 May 1998) is a Belarusian professional tennis player. She has been ranked as high as No. 2 in the world in singles by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) and as high as No. 1 in doubles. Sabalenka has won eleven WTA Tour singles titles, including two WTA 1000 titles, and two WTA Tour doubles titles. She has also won one Grand Slam mixed doubles title, at the 2019 Australian Open with Mate Pavić.
Sabalenka is known for her powerful serve and aggressive baseline play. She has been described as one of the hardest hitters on the WTA Tour. She is also known for her emotional outbursts on court, which have sometimes led to her being penalized by umpires.
Early life and career
Sabalenka was born in Minsk, Belarus, to parents Sergey Sabalenka and Yulia Sabalenka. She began playing tennis at the age of six. She quickly rose through the junior ranks, and in 2014, she won the junior Wimbledon singles title. She also reached the semifinals of the junior French Open and the quarterfinals of the junior US Open that year.
Sabalenka turned professional in 2015. She made her WTA Tour main draw debut at the Shenzhen Open, where she lost in the first round to Laura Siegemund. She won her first WTA Tour singles title in 2017 at the Wuhan Open, defeating Anett Kontaveit in the final. She also won her first WTA Tour doubles title that year at the İstanbul Cup, partnering Elise Mertens.
2018–2020: Breakthrough and top ten
In 2018, Sabalenka had a breakout season. She won her first WTA Premier singles title at the St. Petersburg Ladies' Trophy, defeating Petra Kvitová in the final. She also reached the semifinals of the Australian Open, where she lost to Naomi Osaka. She finished the year ranked No. 11 in the world.
In 2019, Sabalenka won her second WTA Premier singles title at the Shenzhen Open, defeating Alison Riske in the final. She also won her first WTA 1000 singles title at the Madrid Open, defeating Karolína Plíšková in the final. She reached the semifinals of the Wimbledon Championships, where she lost to Serena Williams. She finished the year ranked No. 13 in the world.
In 2020, Sabalenka won her third WTA Premier singles title at the Qatar Open, defeating Petra Kvitová in the final. She also won her second WTA 1000 singles title at the Cincinnati Open, defeating Naomi Osaka in the final. She reached the semifinals of the Australian Open, where she lost to Serena Williams. She finished the year ranked No. 10 in the world.
2021–present: Continued success and Grand Slam mixed doubles title
In 2021, Sabalenka won her fourth WTA Premier singles title at the Abu Dhabi Open, defeating Veronika Kudermetova in the final. She also won her third WTA 1000 singles title at the Madrid Open, defeating Ashleigh Barty in the final. She reached the semifinals of the Wimbledon Championships, where she lost to Karolína Plíšková. She finished the year ranked No. 2 in the world.
In 2022, Sabalenka won her fifth WTA Premier singles title at the Sydney International, defeating Danielle Collins in the final. She also won her fourth WTA 1000 singles title at the Miami Open, defeating Naomi Osaka in the final. She reached the semifinals of the French Open, where she lost to Coco Gauff. She finished the year ranked No. 5 in the world.
Playing style
Sabalenka is known for her powerful serve and aggressive baseline play. She has been described as one of the hardest hitters on the WTA Tour. She is also known for her emotional outbursts on court, which have sometimes led to her being penalized by umpires.
Personal life
Sabalenka is currently dating Mats Wilander, a Swedish tennis coach and former world No. 1. She speaks Belarusian, Russian, and English. She is a fan of the Belarusian football club FC BATE Borisov.
Career highlights
- Grand Slam mixed doubles champion: 2019 Australian Open
- WTA Finals runner-up: 2021
- WTA 1000 singles titles: 4 (Madrid 2019, 2021; Cincinnati 2020; Miami 2022)
- WTA 1000 doubles titles: 1 (Madrid 2019)
- WTA Premier singles titles: 6 (St. Petersburg 2018; Shenzhen 2019; Qatar 2020; Cincinnati 2020; Abu Dhabi 2021; Sydney 2022)
- WTA Premier doubles titles: 1 (İstanbul 2017)
- WTA 125K singles titles: 1 (Nanchang 2016)
- Fed Cup: 2017, 2019
- Hopman Cup: 2020
- WTA Elite Trophy: 2019
- Junior Wimbledon singles champion: 2014
