Aryna Sabalenka sends touching message to her boyfriend Georgios and team after beating Jessica Pegula to win 1st Miami Open title

By S Shahi

Modified Mar 30, 2025 02:01 GMT

Aryna Sabalenka and team [Image source: Getty]

Aryna Sabalenka credited her boyfriend Georgios Frangulis and her coaches for being by her side after claiming her maiden Miami Open crown. Sabalenka beat fourth-seed Jessica Pegula 7-5, 6-2 in the final within an hour and 28 minutes in a rerun of last year's 2024 US Open final.

Following her runner-up result at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Sabalenka traveled to Miami for her fourth WTA 1000 title quest of the year. The top seed received a second-round bye, where she defeated Viktoriya Tomova 6-3, 6-0.

She subsequently sailed past Elena-Gabriela Ruse, 14th seed Danielle Collins, ninth seed Zheng Qinwen, and sixth seed Jasmine Paolini to advance to her 35th WTA singles final. Belarusian tennis star Sabalenka beat fourth seed Jessica Pegula to secure her eighth WTA 1000 and 19th career singles title.

During the award ceremony, Sabalenka thanked her boyfriend Georgios Frangulis and her coaches for their continued support during the tournament.

"Thank you, everyone, who helped me during this tournament. I mean, I really enjoyed playing here. I enjoyed every minute here. And winning this trophy on this special date is super special for me," Aryna Sabalenka said (at 01:42).

"So I'll just say thank you, my team, for everything. You're not my team. You're my family. We spent 24-7, unfortunately, together. But I love you so much. And I really appreciate for everything you do for me. I'm not an easy person. But I also try to do my best. Yeah, I love you guys. And thank you, my boyfriend. I love you so much," she added.

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Aryna Sabalenka apologizes to Jessica Pegula after defeating her in Miami Open final

In Picture: Jessica Pegula and Aryna Sabalenka during the 2025 Miami Open (Source: Getty)

During the trophy presentation, Aryna Sabalenka jokingly apologized to Jessica Pegula and informed her that she would willingly split her trophy, ranking points, and money with the American player had that been possible. Sabalenka hailed Pegula as a tough competitor who always pushes her to raise the bar.

"First of all Jess I’m so sorry. For real. If I could share the trophy with someone, trophy, prize money, points, everything, I would definitely share it with you. I'm sorry for that, but you're an incredible player. You always push me so hard to play my best. I mean, you're a great player," Aryna Sabalenka said.

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About the author

Shashank, a tennis journalist at Sportskeeda, joined the company about a year and a half ago. Despite his background in software engineering, his passion for the sport drove him to switch gears and dive into full-time journalism before which he worked as a tech writer.

With over 1000 articles and nearly 4 million views under his belt at SK, his stories stand out thanks to his deep dives into match stats, player tactics, and historical patterns, offering readers a fresh take every time. Above all, he is meticulous, making sure to double-check information from reliable sources before sharing it.

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Edited by Pratham K Sharma