Aryna Sabalenka celebrated her triumph at the 2024 Cincinnati Open by sharing a romantic kiss and warm embrace with her boyfriend, Georgios Frangulis. The duo's intimate moment took a hilarious turn when the Belarusian's fitness coach Jason Stacy stepped in to intervene.
After a quarterfinal exit at the Canadian Open, Sabalenka bounced back strongly at the Cincinnati Open, claiming dominant straight-set wins over the likes of Elina Svitolina, Liudmila Samsonova and Iga Swiatek to reach the final.
Taking on Jessica Pegula in a blockbuster title clash, the 26-year-old delivered a commanding performance to secure a 6-3, 7-5 victory in 75 minutes, clinching her sixth WTA 1000 title.
Overjoyed by her triumph, Aryna Sabalenka rushed to celebrate with her boyfriend Georgios Frangulis and her coaching team. The Belarusian and Frangulis exchanged kisses while sharing a warm embrace, only for her fitness coach Jason Stacy to hilariously shield their romantic moment from view.
With her victory at the Cincinnati Open, Sabalenka will reclaim the World No. 2 ranking from Coco Gauff ahead of the US Open. The 26-year-old will also surpass Elena Rybakina to secure the second spot in the Race to the WTA Finals.
"Special thank you to my boyfriends" - Aryna Sabalenka cracks up boyfriend Georgios Frangulis during Cincinnati Open victory speech
The hilarity continued during Aryna Sabalenka's victory speech at the 2024 Cincinnati Open, as the Belarusian mistakenly thanked her "boyfriends" while acknowledging her boyfriend Georgios Frangulis' role in keeping her happy. The 26-year-old humorously blamed her "terrible English" for the mix-up.
"Special thank you to my boyfriends... boyfriend, I said 'boyfriends' oh my god, that's my terrible English guys. Thank you to my boyfriend for keeping me happy everyday, thank you," Sabalenka joked.
The two-time Grand Slam champion also expressed her gratitude to her coaching team for their constant support and dedicated efforts to help her improve.
"Last but not the least, I want to thank my team, um, yeah, you guys we've been through a lot but we never stop working, never stop improving and I'm really to have you by my side," the Belarussian said.
Aryna Sabalenka will be back in action at the US Open, on the hunt for her second Grand Slam title of the season. Having suffered a devastating loss to Coco Gauff in last year's final at the New York Major, the World No. 2 will aim to deliver a stronger performance and go one step further on her return to Flushing Meadows.