World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka gave a shoutout to her boyfriend, Georgios Frangulis, and other members of her support team as the Belarusian reached the semifinal of the 2025 Miami Open. Sabalenka won her match 6-2, 7-5 against ninth seed Zheng Qinwen.
The top seed was at her best on-court, breaking her Chinese opponent's serve three times to close the first set 6-2. The second set saw multiple service breaks as the Olympic champion took a 4-2 lead against the top seed. However, the World No. 1 responded by securing another service break to regain parity and then broke once more in the twelfth game to win the match. The win gave the Belarusian a 6-0 lead in her head-to-head against Zheng.
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Sabalenka was cheered on by her team, including her boyfriend Georgios Frangulis, whom she has been dating since last year. On this occasion, famous Miami restaurant owner David Grutman and his wife Isabela were also present in the Belarusian's box. Grutman shared Sabalenka's victory on his Instagram, which the World No. 1 reshared on her Instagram story as well.
"Best support..love you guys" read the caption
Sabalenka will now face sixth-seed Jasmine Paolini in the semifinal.
Aryna Sabalenka is looking for her first title in Miami
The Miami Open has historically been a poor tournament for Sabalenka, as the Belarusian has never reached the semifinals before this edition. The World No. 1 reached the quarterfinal twice but lost to eventual champion Ashleigh Barty in 2021 and to Sorana Cirstea in 2023.
2025 has been a good year for Sabalenka so far, as she won a title in Brisbane and reached two high-profile finals at the Australian Open and the BNP Paribas Open. In both instances, she lost very close three-set matches against Madison Keys and Mirra Andreeva, respectively.
Sabalenka is about to face Paolini in the semifinal, against whom she has a 3-2 advantage in the head-to-head. Among the other players who are remaining in the women's draw, only Iga Swiatek has a positive (8-4) record against the top seed.
The Miami Open results also have implications for the No. 1 ranking battle between Sabalenka and Swiatek. A title win for the Belarusian would mean her gap at the top would increase, whereas a win for the Pole would enable her to close the gap ahead of the clay season, where she has the superior record.
