Aryna Sabalenka

Aryna Siarhiejeŭna Sabalenka (born 5 May 1998) is a Belarusian professional tennis player. In 2015, the Belarusian Tennis Federation persuaded Sabalenka and her team to focus on playing low-level professional events instead of junior tournaments, even though she was still eligible to compete at the junior level.

Career

Juniors Sabalenka had a late start on the ITF Junior Circuit, instead competing on the U14 and U16 Tennis Europe tours at a younger age. She did not compete in the main draw of any ITF events until 2013 at the low-level Grade-4 Tallink Cup in Estonia at the age of 15. She never played in the junior Grand Slam tournaments or any other high-level Grade-A and Grade-1 events. Without the higher point levels from these bigger tournaments, she had a career-high ranking of just No. 225. That year, she made her Fed Cup debut in April, losing her only match. put her into the top 200 in May and the second in Toyota in November helped her finish the year ranked at No. 137 in the world. however, she did not win her first WTA Tour match until Wimbledon in July. In her Grand Slam debut, she again reached the main draw through qualifying and defeated Irina Khromacheva in the opening round. Sabalenka followed up this achievement with another win at the Washington Open over No. 34 Lauren Davis, the 2016 runner-up and the highest-ranked player she had defeated at the time.

After losing in qualifying at the US Open, Sabalenka reached her first ever WTA semifinal at the Tashkent Open, defeating third seed and world No. 53, Tatjana Maria, along the way. A few weeks later, she entered the Tianjin Open as the 119th-ranked player in the world, but managed to reach her first WTA tournament final. There, she faced her childhood idol Maria Sharapova, but ultimately lost in two tight sets. With this performance, she rose to No. 76 in the rankings, entering the top 100 for the first time. The title cemented her at No. 78 at the end of the year.

2018: Premier 5 title, top 20

After playing relatively few WTA events in 2017, Sabalenka used her higher ranking to play exclusively on the WTA Tour 2018. She reached two quarterfinals to begin the year. At the Shenzhen Open, she defeated Monica Niculescu and qualifier Danka Kovinić to reach the quarterfinals, where she lost to world No. 1 Simona Halep in straight sets. At the Hobart International, she defeated wildcard entrant Eugenie Bouchard and Zhang Shuai to reach the quarterfinals, where she lost to Lesia Tsurenko in straight sets. At the Australian Open, however, she lost her opening-round match to No. 17 Ashleigh Barty. At the Indian Wells Open, she defeated Varvara Lepchenko and No. 18 Svetlana Kuznetsova As a result, her ranking rose to the top 50. At the French Open, however, she lost in the first round to No. 22 Kiki Bertens.

Sabalenka had stronger results on grass. At the Libéma Open, she defeated Markéta Vondroušová and Ajla Tomljanović to make it to the quarterfinals, where she lost to Kirsten Flipkens in straight sets. At the Eastbourne International, Sabalenka defeated No. 13 Julia Görges and No. 15 Elise Mertens to reach the quarterfinals. In the quarterfinals, she upset No. 7 and defending champion Karolína Plíšková for her first victory over a top 10 player. She defeated Agnieszka Radwańska to reach her first WTA Premier final, where she lost to world No. 2 Caroline Wozniacki in straight sets. At Wimbledon, however, she lost in the first round to No. 28 Mihaela Buzărnescu.

During the North American hardcourt summer season, Sabalenka rose through the rankings. but lost in the third round to No. 15 Elise Mertens. At the Cincinnati Open, Sabalenka recorded two more top-ten wins over No. 8 Karolína Plíšková and No. 5 Caroline Garcia to reach her first Premier 5 quarterfinal. She stunned No. 13 Madison Keys to reach her first Premier 5 semifinal, where she lost to world No. 1 Simona Halep in straight sets. After the Cincinnati Open, her ranking rose to the top 30 for the first time.

At the Connecticut Open, Sabalenka defeated lucky loser Samantha Stosur, No. 24 Daria Saville, lucky loser Belinda Bencic, No. 9 Julia Görges and Carla Suárez Navarro to claim her first Premier-tier title. Her ranking rose to the top 20. Sabalenka closed out this part of the season with her best result at a Grand Slam tournament to date. At the US Open, she defeated Danielle Collins, qualifier Vera Zvonareva, and No. 5 Petra Kvitová to make it to the fourth round, where she lost to No. 19 and eventual champion Naomi Osaka in three sets. Sabalenka was the only player to win a set against Osaka in the tournament.

At the Wuhan Open, Sabalenka defeated Carla Suárez Navarro again in the first round, and upset No. 6 Elina Svitolina in three sets in the second round. She defeated qualifier Sofia Kenin and Dominika Cibulková to reach her second Premier 5 semifinal. She defeated No. 17 Ashleigh Barty in straight sets to reach her first Premier 5 final. In the final, she defeated Anett Kontaveit in straight sets to win her first Premier 5 title.

At the China Open, Sabalenka defeated No. 15 Garbiñe Muguruza and No. 4 Caroline Garcia to reach the quarterfinals, where she lost to wildcard entrant Wang Qiang in straight sets. The success in China helped her reach a new career-high singles ranking of No. 11. Barty, having defeated Garcia with fewer games lost, advanced out of the group to end Sabalenka's season. Sabalenka was named the WTA Newcomer of the Year.

2019: Premier 5 title, singles top 10, doubles No. 2 Singles: Elite Trophy, three titles Sabalenka began the season at the Shenzhen Open. She defeated Tatjana Maria, Ekaterina Alexandrova, No. 29 Maria Sharapova, Wang Yafan, and Alison Riske to win the title. However, she could not build on this success in the rest of the first half of the year. At the Australian Open, she lost in the third round to Amanda Anisimova. Nonetheless, Sabalenka made her top-10 debut following the event. At the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy, Sabalenka defeated Alison Van Uytvanck and qualifier Ekaterina Alexandrova to reach the semifinals, where she lost to No. 8 Kiki Bertens in straight sets. At the Dubai Championships, she defeated qualifier Ivana Jorović before losing to Belinda Bencic. At the Indian Wells Open, she defeated Ajla Tomljanović and No. 28 Lesia Tsurenko before losing to No. 8 Angelique Kerber. In Miami, she lost her opening match against Ajla Tomljanović.

In Madrid, Sabalenka lost in the first round to wildcard entrant Svetlana Kuznetsova. In Rome, she lost in the first round to qualifier Alizé Cornet. At the Internationaux de Strasbourg, Sabalenka defeated Zhu Lin, qualifier Laura Siegemund, and Monica Puig to reach the semifinals, where she lost to Dayana Yastremska in straight sets. At the French Open, she lost again to Amanda Anisimova in the second round. At the Eastbourne International, Sabalenka defeated No. 14 and defending champion Caroline Wozniacki to reach the quarterfinals, where she lost to No. 4 Kiki Bertens in three sets. At Wimbledon, she lost in the first round to Magdaléna Rybáriková.

Sabalenka had a better second half of the season. At the Silicon Valley Classic, Sabalenka defeated wildcard entrant CoCo Vandeweghe, No. 29 Carla Suárez Navarro, and No. 25 Donna Vekić to reach the final, where she lost to Zheng Saisai in straight sets. At the US Open, she defeated Victoria Azarenka before losing to Yulia Putintseva.

Sabalenka returned to China following the US Open. At the Zhengzhou Open, Sabalenka defeated Jeļena Ostapenko to reach the quarterfinals, where she lost to No. 23 Petra Martić in three sets. At the Wuhan Open, Sabalenka defeated Aliaksandra Sasnovich, Danielle Collins, and No. 8 Kiki Bertens to reach the quarterfinals, without dropping a set. She defeated wildcard entrant Elena Rybakina to reach the semifinals. She upset world No. 1 Ashleigh Barty in straight sets to reach her second straight Wuhan Open final. In the final, she defeated Alison Riske in three sets to defend her title. At the end of the season, Sabalenka qualified for the WTA Elite Trophy for the second consecutive year. In her round-robin group, she swept Maria Sakkari and Elise Mertens. In the semifinals, she defeated Karolína Muchová. In the final, she defeated Kiki Bertens in straight sets to take her third title of the year in China. Sabalenka finished the year for a ranking of world No. 11, the same as she ended 2018.

Doubles: US Open title, Sunshine Double

Sabalenka started the year ranked No. 73 in doubles. The pair matched this success at their next event by winning the Miami Open to complete the Sunshine Double. They defeated three of the top six seeds, including third seeds Hsieh Su-wei and Barbora Strýcová in the second round. They won the final against sixth seeds Samantha Stosur and Zhang Shuai. With these two titles, Sabalenka rose to No. 21 in the world. They then reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon, losing to third seeds Hsieh and Strýcová. These were Sabalenka's first two appearances in at least the quarterfinals at a Grand Slam event. Sabalenka and Mertens had their best result of the year at the US Open. As the fourth seed at the event, they made it to the final without playing another top-ten-seeded team. In the final, they faced eighth seeds Victoria Azarenka and Ashleigh Barty, the latter of whom had won the title a year earlier with CoCo Vandeweghe. Sabalenka and Mertens defeated Azarenka and Barty in straight sets for their first Grand Slam title in any discipline. With this title, Sabalenka made her top 10 debut in doubles at No. 6 in the world. Their three big titles helped them win the Race to Shenzhen and qualify for the WTA Finals as the top seeds. Before the event, Sabalenka and Mertens moved up to No. 2 and No. 3 in the rankings, respectively, behind only world No. 1, Barbora Strýcová. After defeating the Chan sisters, Sabalenka and Mertens lost to Babos and Mladenovic in another match tiebreak. They did not advance out of their group.

2020: Premier 5 title Sabalenka received a wildcard into the Adelaide International. She upset No. 4 Simona Halep to reach the semifinals, where she lost to Dayana Yastremska in straight sets. At the Australian Open, she lost in the first round to Carla Suárez Navarro. She enjoyed moderate success in doubles, reaching the quarterfinals with Elise Mertens before losing to the Chan sisters. At the Dubai Championships, Sabalenka defeated Maria Sakkari and Elise Mertens to reach the quarterfinals, where she lost to world No. 2 Simona Halep in three sets. At the Qatar Open, Sabalenka defeated Anett Kontaveit, No. 20 Maria Sakkari, Zheng Saisai and Svetlana Kuznetsova to reach the final. She defeated No. 11 Petra Kvitová in straight sets to win her third Premier 5 title.

After the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the WTA Tour, Sabalenka entered the Top Seed Open in August. She defeated Madison Brengle before falling to Coco Gauff. In Cincinnati, she defeated qualifier CiCi Bellis before losing to qualifier Jessica Pegula. At the US Open, she defeated Océane Dodin before losing to Victoria Azarenka. She had moderate success in doubles, reaching the quarterfinals of both events. Her results began to improve on clay. At the Internationaux de Strasbourg, Sabalenka defeated qualifier Ellen Perez, Anna Blinkova, and Kateřina Siniaková to reach the semifinals, where she lost to No. 5 Elina Svitolina in three sets. At the French Open, she defeated Jessica Pegula and Daria Kasatkina before losing to Ons Jabeur.

Sabalenka entered two indoor hard-court events at the end of 2020. At the Ostrava Open, Sabalenka defeated qualifiers Coco Gauff and Sara Sorribes Tormo to reach the semifinals. She defeated Jennifer Brady to reach the final. In the final, she defeated No. 14 Victoria Azarenka in straight sets to win her second title of the season. At the same tournament, Sabalenka also won the doubles event with Elise Mertens, defeating Gabriela Dabrowski and Luisa Stefani in the final. At the Linz Open, Sabalenka defeated Jasmine Paolini and qualifiers Stefanie Vögele and Océane Dodin to reach the semifinals. She defeated Barbora Krejčíková to reach the final. In the final, she defeated No. 21 Elise Mertens in straight sets to capture her third title of the season. For the first time, Sabalenka finished the year at the top 10.

2021: Major semifinals, singles No. 2, doubles No. 1

Sabalenka entered her first tournament in 2021 at the Abu Dhabi Open. She defeated Polona Hercog, Ajla Tomljanović, Ons Jabeur, No. 19 Elena Rybakina, and No. 22 Maria Sakkari to reach the final. She defeated Veronika Kudermetova in straight sets to win her third straight WTA title, extending her winning streak to 15 matches and catapulting her to a new ranking of No. 7.

At the Australian Open, Sabalenka defeated Viktória Hrunčáková, Daria Kasatkina, and Ann Li to reach the fourth round, where she lost to No. 11 Serena Williams in three sets. Nonetheless, at the same tournament, Sabalenka won her second major doubles title with Elise Mertens, defeating Barbora Krejčíková and Kateřina Siniaková in the final. By winning the title, Sabalenka ascended to world No. 1 in the doubles rankings for the first time in her career.

As the defending champion at the Qatar Open, Sabalenka lost her opening match to Garbiñe Muguruza. At the Dubai Championships, Sabalenka defeated Alizé Cornet and No. 24 Anett Kontaveit to reach the quarterfinals, where she lost again to No. 16 Garbiñe Muguruza in three sets.

At the Miami Open, Sabalenka defeated qualifier Tsvetana Pironkova, Veronika Kudermetova and No. 20 Markéta Vondroušová to reach the quarterfinals, where she lost to world No. 1 Ashleigh Barty in three sets.

Sabalenka started her clay season at the Stuttgart Open. She defeated Zhang Shuai, qualifier Anna-Lena Friedsam, and Anett Kontaveit to reach the semifinals. She upset No. 3 Simona Halep in straight sets to reach the final, where she lost again to world No. 1 Ashleigh Barty in three sets.

At the Madrid Open, Sabalenka defeated Daria Kasatkina, Jessica Pegula, No. 16 Elise Mertens, and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova to reach her second consecutive final on clay. In the final, she defeated world No. 1 Ashleigh Barty in three sets to win her tenth WTA title and first on clay. As a result, her ranking moved to world No. 4.

At the Italian Open, Sabalenka defeated Sara Sorribes Tormo before losing to Coco Gauff. At the French Open, she defeated qualifier Ana Konjuh and Aliaksandra Sasnovich before losing to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.

Sabalenka started her grass season at the German Open. She lost her opening match against Madison Keys. Nonetheless, Sabalenka and her compatriot Victoria Azarenka won the doubles event, defeating the top-seeded pair of Demi Schuurs and Nicole Melichar in the final. At the Eastbourne International, Sabalenka defeated qualifier Bernarda Pera and Alison Riske-Amritraj to reach the quarterfinals, where she lost to qualifier Camila Giorgi in three sets.

At the Wimbledon Championships, Sabalenka defeated qualifier Monica Niculescu, wildcard entrant Katie Boulter, qualifier Camila Osorio, and No. 20 Elena Rybakina to reach her first major quarterfinal. She then defeated No. 24 Ons Jabeur to reach her first major semifinal, becoming the third Belarusian woman to reach Wimbledon semifinals following Natasha Zvereva in 1998 and Victoria Azarenka in 2011 and 2012. She lost her semifinal match against No. 13 Karolína Plíšková in three sets. As a result, Sabalenka reached a career-high ranking of No. 3.

Sabalenka started her North American hard court season at the Canadian Open. She defeated wildcard entrants Sloane Stephens and Rebecca Marino to reach the quarterfinals. She defeated No. 15 Victoria Azarenka to reach the semifinals, where she lost again to No. 6 Karolína Plíšková in straight sets. She then lost her opening-round match at the Cincinnati Open against Paula Badosa. Despite the loss, Sabalenka reached a career-high ranking of No. 2.

At the US Open, Sabalenka defeated Nina Stojanović, Tamara Zidanšek, No. 29 Danielle Collins, and No. 16 Elise Mertens to reach her second major quarterfinal. She defeated No. 9 Barbora Krejčíková in straight sets to reach her second major semifinal. She lost in the semifinals to Leylah Fernandez in three sets.

Due to a positive COVID-19 test, Sabalenka was not able to play at Indian Wells. Sabalenka qualified for the WTA Finals in singles for the first time. She defeated Iga Świątek, but was eliminated by Paula Badosa and Maria Sakkari in the round-robin stage.

2022: US Open semifinal Sabalenka struggled with her serve at the beginning of 2022. At the Adelaide International 1, she lost her opening match against Kaja Juvan; at the Adelaide International 2, she lost her first round to qualifier Rebecca Peterson. At the Australian Open, she managed to dig out three-set wins against wildcard entrant Storm Sanders, Wang Xinyu, and Markéta Vondroušová, but lost in the fourth round to Kaia Kanepi in a three-set match, which ended in a third-set super-tiebreak.

At the Dubai Championships, Sabalenka defeated qualifier Marta Kostyuk before losing to Petra Kvitová. At the Qatar Open, Sabalenka beat wildcard entrant Alizé Cornet and Jil Teichmann to reach the quarterfinals, where she lost to No. 8 and eventual champion Iga Świątek in straight sets.

At the Indian Wells, Sabalenka lost her opening match against Jasmine Paolini. In Miami, she lost her opening match against Irina-Camelia Begu.

At the Charleston Open, Sabalenka lost in the third round to Amanda Anisimova. At the Stuttgart Open, Sabalenka defeated Bianca Andreescu, No. 6 Anett Kontaveit and No. 3 Paula Badosa to reach her second straight Stuttgart final. In the final, she lost again to world No. 1 Iga Świątek in straight sets.

As the defending champion at the Madrid Open, Sabalenka was knocked out by Amanda Anisimova again in the first round. At the Italian Open, Sabalenka defeated Zhang Shuai, No. 11 Jessica Pegula, and Amanda Anisimova to reach the semifinals. In the semifinals, she lost to world No. 1 Iga Świątek for the third time in 2022. At the French Open, she defeated Chloé Paquet and Madison Brengle before losing to Camila Giorgi.

Sabalenka began the grass-court season at the Libéma Open. She defeated Kateryna Baindl, wildcard entrant Arianne Hartono, Alison Van Uytvanck, and Shelby Rogers to make the final, where she lost to Ekaterina Alexandrova in straight sets. Due to Wimbledon's ruling on Russian and Belarusian players, Sabalenka was banned from participating in the event due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, cutting her grass season short.

Sabalenka opened the US hardcourt swing in Silicon Valley Classic. She defeated lucky loser Caroline Dolehide to reach the quarterfinals, where she lost to No. 12 and eventual champion Daria Kasatkina in three sets. At the Canadian Open, she defeated Sara Sorribes Tormo before losing to No. 11 Coco Gauff. At the Cincinnati Open, Sabalenka defeated qualifier Anna Kalinskaya, wildcard entrant Shelby Rogers, and Zhang Shuai to reach the semifinals, where she lost to qualifier and eventual champion Caroline Garcia in three sets. Her best run of the season came at the US Open. Sabalenka defeated qualifier Catherine Harrison, Kaia Kanepi, qualifier Clara Burel, No. 19 Danielle Collins, and No. 22 Karolína Plíšková to reach her second consecutive US Open semifinal. In the semifinals, she was defeated by world No. 1 Iga Świątek for the fourth time this season.

At the San Diego Open, Sabalenka defeated wildcard entrant Sloane Stephens before losing to qualifier Donna Vekić. At the Guadalajara Open, she lost her opening match against Liudmila Samsonova.

Sabalenka qualified for the WTA Finals for a second straight year. She defeated world No. 2 Ons Jabeur and No. 3 Jessica Pegula in the round-robin stage, and No. 1 Iga Świątek in the semifinals. She became the fourth woman to defeat the top 3 players at the same tournament, joining Steffi Graf (1999 French Open), Serena Williams (2002 Miami Open), and Venus Williams (2008 WTA Finals). She lost her group match against Maria Sakkari and lost in the final to Caroline Garcia in straight sets.

2023: Australian Open champion, No. 1

Sabalenka began her 2023 season at the Adelaide International. She defeated Liudmila Samsonova, Markéta Vondroušová, and Irina-Camelia Begu to reach the final. She defeated qualifier Linda Nosková to win the title, without dropping a set en route.

Sabalenka entered the Australian Open as the fifth seed. She defeated Tereza Martincová, Shelby Rogers, Elise Mertens, and No. 10 Belinda Bencic to reach her first-ever Australian Open quarterfinal. She then beat Donna Vekić to reach her fourth Grand Slam semifinal. She beat Magda Linette to secure her 10th straight-set victory of 2023 and make her first ever major final. In the final, she defeated No. 25 Elena Rybakina in three sets to win her first major title. She became the second Belarusian to ever win a major singles title after Victoria Azarenka in 2012 and 2013. After winning the title in Melbourne, Sabalenka rose back to No. 2 in the WTA rankings.

In Dubai, Sabalenka defeated Lauren Davis and Jeļena Ostapenko to reach the quarterfinals, where she fell to the eventual champion Barbora Krejčíková in three sets.

At the Indian Wells, Sabalenka defeated Evgeniya Rodina, Barbora Krejčíková, sixth seed Coco Gauff, and seventh seed Maria Sakkari to reach the final. She lost in the final to tenth seed Elena Rybakina in straight sets in a rematch of their Australian Open final.

In Miami, Sabalenka defeated Shelby Rogers, Marie Bouzková, and Barbora Krejčíková to reach the quarterfinals, where she was defeated by Sorana Cîrstea in straight sets.

Sabalenka started her clay court season in Stuttgart. She defeated Barbora Krejčíková, wildcard entrant Paula Badosa, and Anastasia Potapova to make her third straight Stuttgart final. In a rematch of last year's final, she was defeated by world No. 1 Iga Świątek in straight sets.

In Madrid, Sabalenka defeated Sorana Cîrstea, wildcard entrant Camila Osorio, wildcard entrant Mirra Andreeva, Mayar Sherif, and ninth seed Maria Sakkari to reach her second Madrid final. In the final, she defeated world No. 1 Iga Świątek in three sets to win her second Madrid title.

In Rome, she suffered her first early defeat of the year, losing her opening match to Sofia Kenin in straight sets. At the French Open, Sabalenka defeated Marta Kostyuk, qualifier Iryna Shymanovich, Kamilla Rakhimova, Sloane Stephens, and Elina Svitolina, without dropping a set, to reach her first Roland Garros semifinal. In the semifinals, she lost to Karolína Muchová in three sets, despite leading 5–2 and holding match point.

Sabalenka began her grass court season in Berlin, defeating qualifier Vera Zvonareva before losing to wildcard entrant Veronika Kudermetova in straight sets. At Wimbledon, she defeated Panna Udvardy, Varvara Gracheva, Anna Blinkova, Ekaterina Alexandrova, and Madison Keys to reach her fourth consecutive major semifinal. She lost in the semifinals to sixth seed Ons Jabeur in three sets.

Sabalenka started her North American hard court season in Montréal. She defeated Petra Martić before losing to Liudmila Samsonova in three sets. In Cincinnati, she defeated qualifier Ann Li, Daria Kasatkina, and fifth seed Ons Jabeur to reach the semifinals. In a rematch of their French Open semifinal, she fell again to Karolína Muchová in three sets.

At the US Open, Sabalenka defeated Maryna Zanevska, Jodie Burrage, Clara Burel, Daria Kasatkina, and Zheng Qinwen, without dropping a set, to reach her third consecutive US Open semifinal. She became the first player to reach the semifinals of all four major events in one year since Serena Williams in 2016. In the final, she lost to sixth seed Coco Gauff in three sets. Due to the loss of No. 1 Iga Świątek in the fourth round, Sabalenka became, for the first time, the world No. 1 tennis player. She became the 29th player to be ranked No. 1 in the world on the WTA Tour, and the second Belarusian, after Victoria Azarenka. She was also the eighth female player to have been ranked No. 1 in the Open Era in both singles and doubles at some point in their careers.

After the US Open, Sabalenka reached the quarterfinals of the China Open, where she lost to fifth seed Elena Rybakina in straight sets. She made her third consecutive appearance at the WTA Finals. She defeated Maria Sakkari and Elena Rybakina but lost to Jessica Pegula in the round-robin stage. In the semifinals, she lost to Iga Świątek in straight sets, who would go on to win the event. As a result, Świątek reclaimed the world No. 1 ranking and Sabalenka finished as year-end No. 2.

2024: Two major titles, year-end No. 1

Sabalenka started her 2024 tennis season at the Brisbane International. She defeated Daria Kasatkina and Victoria Azarenka to reach the final, where she lost to second seed Elena Rybakina in straight sets. At the Australian Open, Sabalenka overcame qualifier Ella Seidel, qualifier Brenda Fruhvirtová, Lesia Tsurenko, Amanda Anisimova, ninth seed Barbora Krejčíková, without dropping a set, to reach the semifinals. She defeated fourth seed Coco Gauff in straight sets to avenge her US Open loss and reach her second consecutive Australian Open final. She defeated Zheng Qinwen in the final in straight sets, becoming the first woman to successfully defend her title at the Australian Open since Victoria Azarenka in 2013.

At the Indian Wells, she defeated Peyton Stearns and wildcard entrant Emma Raducanu before losing to Emma Navarro in three sets. In Miami, she defeated Paula Badosa before losing to Anhelina Kalinina in three sets.

Sabalenka started her clay season at Stuttgart. She was eliminated in the quarterfinals by sixth seed Markéta Vondroušová in three sets. As the defending champion in Madrid, Sabalenka defeated Magda Linette, wildcard entrant Robin Montgomery, Danielle Collins and Mirra Andreeva to reach the semifinals, where she edged an epic three-set victory over fourth seed Elena Rybakina. In a rematch of the previous year's final, she faced world No. 1 Iga Świątek. Sabalenka had three championship points during the match, but eventually lost.

In Rome, she defeated qualifier Katie Volynets, Dayana Yastremska, Elina Svitolina, ninth seed Jeļena Ostapenko, and Danielle Collins

At the French Open, Sabalenka defeated Erika Andreeva, qualifier Moyuka Uchijima, Paula Badosa and Emma Navarro to reach the quarterfinals. In the quarterfinals, she was hampered by stomach issues and lost to Mirra Andreeva in three sets. Due to her loss, her ranking dropped to No. 3.

Sabalenka suffered a right shoulder injury that forced her to retire during her quarterfinal match against Anna Kalinskaya at the Berlin Ladies Open in June and she withdrew from the 2024 Wimbledon Championships, having failed to recover in time to play.

Sabalenka returned from injury at the Washington DC Open. She defeated qualifier Kamilla Rakhimova and Victoria Azarenka to reach the semifinals, where she lost to Marie Bouzková in three sets. At the Cincinnati Open, Sabalenka defeated Elisabetta Cocciaretto, Elina Svitolina, and Liudmila Samsonova to reach the semifinals. She defeated world No. 1 Iga Świątek in the semifinals, and defeated sixth seed Jessica Pegula to win the title, without dropping a set en route. Her ranking moved back to No. 2. Lucia Bronzetti, Ekaterina Alexandrova, Elise Mertens, seventh seed Zheng Qinwen and Emma Navarro to reach her second straight US Open final. She defeated sixth seed Jessica Pegula in straight sets to win her first US Open singles title and third major singles title. She became the fifth woman to win the Australian Open and the US Open in the same year since 1988.

Sabalenka continued her great form in China. At the China Open, she defeated qualifier Mananchaya Sawangkaew, Ashlyn Krueger and Madison Keys to reach the quarterfinals. She lost in the quarterfinals to Karolína Muchová in three sets. At the Wuhan Open, where she won back-to-back in 2018 and 2019, before the tournament was suspended due to COVID-19 from 2020 until 2023, Sabalenka defeated Kateřina Siniaková in straight sets in her opening match. In the next round, she came back from a set down against Yulia Putintseva to advance to the quarterfinals, where she defeated Magdalena Fręch. Sabalenka faced fourth seed Coco Gauff in the semifinals, mounting a comeback from a set and a break down to the reach the final. In the final, she defeated fifth seed Zheng Qinwen in three sets to lift her third Wuhan Open title and her second WTA 1000 for the 2024 season.

After 11 months off the top in October, she regained the WTA world number-one ranking. Following wins against Zheng Qinwen and Jasmine Paolini in her first two group matches at the WTA Finals, combined with Świątek's loss to Coco Gauff, Sabalenka for the first time would finish the year as No. 1. She became the 16th player to be ranked year-end No. 1 in WTA history. Sabalenka lost her last group match to Elena Rybakina and was defeated by Coco Gauff in the semifinals.

In December, Sabalenka was named WTA Player of the Year.

2025: US Open title, year-end No. 1

Sabalenka started 2025 at the Brisbane International. She defeated Renata Zarazúa, Yulia Putintseva, Marie Bouzková, and No. 16 Mirra Andreeva to reach the final, without dropping a set. In the final, she came back from a set down against qualifier Polina Kudermetova to win the title. As the two-time defending champion at the Australian Open, Sabalenka defeated Sloane Stephens, Jéssica Bouzas Maneiro, Clara Tauson, No. 15 Mirra Andreeva, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, and No.12 Paula Badosa to advance to her third straight Australian Open final. She lost in the final to No. 14 Madison Keys in three sets.

At the Qatar Ladies Open, she lost in the first round to Ekaterina Alexandrova in three sets. At the Dubai Championships, she defeated qualifier Veronika Kudermetov before losing to Clara Tauson in straight sets. thumb Sabalenka at a 2025 Miami Open press conferenceAt the Indian Wells, Sabalenka defeated McCartney Kessler, Lucia Bronzetti, lucky loser Sonay Kartal, and Liudmila Samsonova to reach the semifinals, without dropping a set. Next, she defeated fifth seed Madison Keys in straight sets to avenge her Australian Open loss. She lost in the final to ninth seed Mirra Andreeva in three sets.

At the Miami Open, Sabalenka defeated Viktoriya Tomova, qualifier Elena-Gabriela Ruse, defending champion Danielle Collins, ninth seed Zheng Qinwen, and sixth seed Jasmine Paolini to reach the final, without dropping a set. She defeated fourth seed Jessica Pegula in straight sets to win the title. She became the eighth player to have surpassed the 10,000 points mark in the WTA rankings.

Starting her clay season at the Stuttgart Open, Sabalenka reached the quarterfinals via walkover when Anastasia Potapova withdrew due to injury. She defeated Elise Mertens without dropping a set, to reach her fourth Stuttgart final. She lost the championship match to Jeļena Ostapenko in straight sets.

At the Madrid Open, Sabalenka defeated qualifier Anna Blinkova, Elise Mertens, Peyton Stearns, Marta Kostyuk, and Elina Svitolina to reach her fourth Madrid final. She defeated fourth seed Coco Gauff in the final in straight sets to claim her third Madrid Open title. She became the third woman to surpass 11,000 points in the WTA rankings after Serena Williams and Iga Świątek.

In Rome, Sabalenka defeated Anastasia Potapova, Sofia Kenin, and Marta Kostyuk to reach the quarterfinals, where she lost to eighth seed Zheng Qinwen in straight sets. At the French Open, Sabalenka defeated Kamilla Rakhimova, Jil Teichmann, Olga Danilović, Amanda Anisimova, and Zheng Qinwen to reach the semifinals, without dropping a set. In the semifinals, she defeated three-time defending champion Iga Świątek in three sets to reach her first French Open final. In a rematch of their Madrid Open final, she lost in the final to second seed Coco Gauff in three sets.

Sabalenka started her grass season at the Berlin Open. She defeated qualifier Rebeka Masarova and No. 11 Elena Rybakina to reach the semifinals, where she lost to Markéta Vondroušová in straight sets. At the Wimbledon Championship, Sabalenka beat qualifier Carson Branstine, Marie Bouzková, Emma Raducanu, Elise Mertens, and Laura Siegemund to advance to the semifinals. In the semifinals, she lost to No. 12 Amanda Anisimova in three sets. Despite this loss, she became the first woman to surpass 12,000 points on the WTA rankings since Serena Williams in 2015.

Sabalenka started her US hard court season at the Cincinnati Open. She defeated Markéta Vondroušová, Emma Raducanu, and Jessica Bouzas Maneiro to advance to the quarterfinals. She lost in the quarterfinals to ninth seed Elena Rybakina in straight sets. At the US Open, Sabalenka defeated Rebeka Masarova, Polina Kudermetova, Leylah Fernandez, and Cristina Bucșa to reach the quarterfinals, without dropping a set. She advanced to the semifinals via walkover when Markéta Vondroušová withdrew due to injury. In a rematch of their 2024 US Open final, she defeated fourth seed Jessica Pegula in three sets to reach her third consecutive US Open final. In a rematch of their Wimbledon semifinal, she defeated eighth seed Amanda Anisimova in straight sets to win her second US Open title and fourth major title. She became the first player to defend a US Open singles title since Serena Williams in 2014.

As the three-time defending champion at the Wuhan Open, Sabalenka beat Rebecca Sramkova, Liudmila Samsonova, and eight seed Elena Rybakina to advance to the semifinals. She lost in the semifinals to sixth seed Jessica Pegula in three sets.

At the WTA Finals, Sabalenka defeated the other three players in her group: Jasmine Paolini, Jessica Pegula, and Coco Gauff. In the semifinals, she defeated Amanda Anisimova in three sets. She lost in the final to Elena Rybakina in straight sets.

For the second year in a row, Sabalenka finished as the year-end No. 1. She also held the No. 1 position uninterrupted through the entire season.

On 28 December 2025, Sabalenka (women's singles world No. 1) and Nick Kyrgios (men's singles world No. 671) contested an exhibition match promoted as the Battle of the Sexes at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai. The event was organized by their shared management agency, Evolve. The match was played as a three-set contest under modified rules: the dimensions of Sabalenka's side of the court were reduced by 9%, and both players were restricted to a single serve per point. In the event of a tie, a 10-point match tiebreak would have been played. According to Evolve, the court-size adjustment was intended to "reflect average movement-speed differences between men and women". Kyrgios defeated Sabalenka in straight sets, 6–3, 6–3. Sorana Cîrstea, Madison Keys, and Karolína Muchová to reach the final, where she defeated Marta Kostyuk. During her run in Brisbane, Sabalenka did not drop a set.

At the Australian Open, Sabalenka defeated Tiantsoa Sarah Rakotomanga Rajaonah, Bai Zhuoxuan, Anastasia Potapova, and Victoria Mboko to reach her 13th consecutive major quarterfinal. She defeated Iva Jovic in the quarterfinal and Elina Svitolina in the semifinal, reaching her fourth consecutive Australian Open final and seventh consecutive hardcourt major final. Sabalenka was defeated by Elena Rybakina in three sets in the final, in a rematch of their 2023 Australian Open and 2025 WTA Finals finals.

Following the Australian Open, Sabalenka skipped the Middle East swing, missing the Qatar Ladies Open and Dubai Open for fatigue-related reasons. She returned to play at the Indian Wells Open, where Sabalenka received a bye into the second round and eventually reached the final by defeating Himeno Sakatsume, Jaqueline Cristian, Naomi Osaka, Victoria Mboko, and Linda Nosková. In the final, Sabalenka faced Elena Rybakina in a rematch of their Australian Open final and the 2023 Indian Wells Open final. She defeated Rybakina in a third set tiebreak, saving one match point in the process.

Sabalenka entered the Miami Open as defending champion and received a bye into the second round. She then defeated Ann Li, Caty McNally, Zheng Qinwen, Hailey Baptiste, and Elena Rybakina to reach the final. In the final, she defeated Coco Gauff, winning her second consecutive Miami Open title and completing the Sunshine Double. She became the first player since 2022 to achieve the Sunshine Double and the fifth woman overall to complete the Sunshine Double in singles. She also became the first player, male or female, to complete the achievement in both singles and doubles, having previously completed the Sunshine Double in doubles at the 2019 Miami Open.

Due to an injury, Sabalenka withdrew from Stuttgart, where she was runner-up the previous year. She started her clay season with a first round bye in Madrid. She then defeated Peyton Stearns, and 29th seed Jaqueline Cristian to reach fourth round. In the fourth round, she came back from a set and a break down to defeat Naomi Osaka to reach her 17th consecutive quarterfinal on the WTA tour. She lost in the querterfinals to Hailey Baptiste after having six match points. She received bye in the first round in Rome, then she defeated Barbora Krejčíková in straight sets, before losing to 26th seed Sorana Cirstea in the third round after being a break and a set up, thus marking an end to her 17 consecutive quarterfinals streak on WTA Tour. At the French Open, Sabalenka reached the quarterfinals after defeating fellow Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka in the first women's night session match since 2023. However, she then lost to 25th seed Diana Shnaider after a bagel in the third set, ending her hopes of securing a slam on a natural surface.

Sabalenka began her grass-court season at Berlin, where she defeated Ekaterina Alexandrova, after receiving a first round bye. She overcame a second set deficit to defeat Nikola Bartůňková to advance to the semifinals, where she lost to Jessica Pegula with a third set bagel. At Wimbledon, Sabalenka lost in the fourth round to Osaka. This marked the first time since the 2022 French Open that she lost a major match before the quarterfinals, snapping a streak of 14 major quarterfinal appearances.

National representation Fed Cup Early appearances Sabalenka represented Belarus at the Junior Fed Cup in 2014, with the team finishing in sixth place. She then made her senior Fed Cup debut for Belarus in April 2016, losing a dead rubber doubles match against Russia. Nonetheless, the Belarusian team led by Victoria Azarenka and Aliaksandra Sasnovich won the tie to qualify for the top-tier World Group the following season for the first time in their history.

2017: Surprise runner-up in World Group debut The Belarus Fed Cup team made their debut in the World Group and ultimately reached the final, despite being the underdogs in all three ties. Little was expected from the team because they were without their veteran leader Azarenka, who missed the first two ties on maternity leave and the last because of a custody battle. Without her, Belarus was led by Sabalenka and Sasnovich, neither of whom had ever been ranked above No. 76 by the time of the final. However, they did have the advantage of playing all of their ties at home in Minsk. Sabalenka then clinched both ties, with wins over Michaëlla Krajicek and No. 54 Viktorija Golubic, respectively. She was only ranked No. 125 at the time of the semifinal, with no career tour match wins outside of Fed Cup.

"I've never felt so much emotion in a match. When you play at home and you are down 0–1 and you have to win and you fight with yourself... I just started crying because it was such an important match." source=—Sabalenka on her Fed Cup rubber win over Stephens The next day began with Sabalenka losing to Vandeweghe, before Sasnovich again levelled the tie by defeating Stephens. Sabalenka and Sasnovich were then selected for the decisive doubles rubber for the Fed Cup crown, but the duo were comprehensively defeated by Vandeweghe and Shelby Rogers.

Despite finishing as runner-up, Belarus's Fed Cup success helped popularize women's tennis in Belarus, and vaulted Sabalenka and Sasnovich into international prominence. Sasnovich said, "When we played the quarterfinals and semi-finals in Minsk, a lot of people were coming to see our matches. They finally saw tennis in life, and it's like a popularization... I want my country to improve even more in tennis, because I think we can have even more from Belarus."

2018–19: Avoiding demotion, another semifinal Belarus was unable to repeat their 2017 Fed Cup success in 2018. Their quarterfinal tie was held in Minsk against Germany. Although Sabalenka won both of her singles rubbers, Sasnovich and Vera Lapko lost each of theirs to set up a decisive doubles rubber. Sabalenka and doubles specialist Lidziya Marozava were selected for the match, with Sabalenka playing on short rest directly after her last singles match. After taking the first set against Anna-Lena Grönefeld and Tatjana Maria, they ultimately lost the rubber and the tie.

Their next tie was again contested in Minsk as part of the World Group play-offs, with Slovakia competing to take Belarus's place in the World Group the following season. Sabalenka and Sasnovich each split their two singles rubbers, with Sabalenka being upset by Viktória Kužmová. Doubles specialists Lapko and Marozava were chosen for the final rubber and the pair won the match to keep Belarus in the World Group for 2019.

In the 2019 Fed Cup, Belarus were drawn against Germany in the quarterfinals for the second consecutive year. After Sasnovich won the opening rubber against Maria, Sabalenka won both of her singles rubbers against Andrea Petkovic and Laura Siegemund to clinch the tie. They advanced to face Australia in the semi-finals. Only two players from each team participated: Sabalenka and Azarenka for Belarus, and Ashleigh Barty and Samantha Stosur for Australia. Both Sabalenka and Azarenka defeated Stosur, but lost to Barty. In the decisive doubles rubber, Barty and Stosur won in three sets to eliminate Belarus.

Rivalries

Elena Rybakina

Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina have played each other 17 times since 2019, with Sabalenka leading their head-to-head 10–7 whereas Rybakina leads the finals 4–2. Both players are known for their aggressive baseline play, resulting in fast-paced and intense matches.

They have faced off in two major finals with the 2023 Australian Open won by Rybakina.

Their other notable encounters include the 2023 BNP Paribas Open finals, 2024 Madrid Open semifinal, 2025 WTA Finals finals, and the 2026 BNP Paribas Open final.

Iga Świątek Sabalenka and Iga Świątek have met 13 times since 2021, with Świątek in control of the head-to-head at 8–5. Their rivalry has been seen as becoming one of the greatest in women's tennis. Their most praised matches include the 2024 Madrid Open final, where Świątek defeated defending champion Sabalenka in three sets in 3 hours and 11 minutes, saving three championship points in the process, and the 2023 Madrid Open final, where Sabalenka won in three sets in 2 hours and 25 minutes against Świątek to claim her second Madrid title. Sabalenka and Świątek played each other at the 2025 French Open, which Sabalenka won in three sets. They have played each other multiple times at majors, the first being the 2023 US Open final. Sabalenka lost that match despite winning the first set. Sabalenka defeated Gauff at the 2024 Australian Open semifinals on her way to defending the title. Sabalenka and Gauff faced off again in the final of the 2025 French Open, with Gauff overtaking Sabalenka for her first French Open Major Championship win and second Grand Slam overall. Sabalenka would meet Gauff for the first time in 2026 in the Miami finals, where Sabalenka battled through Gauff in three sets to win Miami for the second time, as well as the Sunshine Double. Pegula would win their first meeting in the third round of the 2020 Western & Southern Open in three sets. They would face off at the 2024 US Open final in which Sabalenka would win 7–5, 7–5 to earn her first US Open title.

Jasmine Paolini Sabalenka has developed a recurring rivalry with Jasmine Paolini, which she leads 6–2. The pair first met at the 2017 Ilkley Trophy, where Paolini defeated Sabalenka in three sets. Paolini later earned another notable win at the 2022 Indian Wells Open, defeating Sabalenka 2–6, 6–3, 6–3. Sabalenka has otherwise controlled the matchup, winning their later meetings at events including Beijing, the Miami Open, the Stuttgart Open, and the WTA Finals. Their matches have contrasted Sabalenka's power-based baseline game with Paolini's speed, court coverage, and ability to extend rallies.

Amanda Anisimova Sabalenka has also developed a rivalry with Amanda Anisimova. The pair have played 11 times with Sabalenka trailing 5–6. They've met six times in Grand Slams including 3 consecutive major contests in 2025 where they're tied 3–3. Anisimova defeated Sabalenka en route to her first major semifinal at 2019 French Open to reach her first major final. They met in the final of 2025 US Open where Sabalenka won 6–3, 7–6(7–3) to win her fourth major. At the 2024 US Open, she struck her forehand at an average speed of 129 km/h (80 mph). Sabalenka's big serve is central to her game: in 2024 she won 62.7% of points on her serve, ranking fifth among the players on tour, and won 78.5% of her service games.

Sabalenka's improved consistency on serve was the key which allowed her to ascend to the top of the WTA rankings. In the past, she struggled with an inconsistent serve, leading to a high double fault count; she served 166 double faults in 2020, the most of any player. She notably suffered from the yips from the 2021 WTA Finals and into 2022, serving 152 double faults in 11 matches, an average of 14 double faults a match. Sabalenka served a total of 440 double faults in 2022, but her serve quickly saw improvements in 2023 under Macmillan's guidance, and has since become a reliable weapon. Sabalenka has become increasingly willing to experiment with variety on her groundstrokes, and with finishing more points at the net. During the 2024 clay season, she began to incorporate more drop shots into her game, which pair well with her power from the baseline.

Sabalenka is primarily known for her success on hardcourt. Nineteen of her twenty-two singles titles, including all four of her major titles, have been won on hardcourt, which suits her game due to its consistent bounce and fast-paced play. However, she is also recognised as a consistent contender in the late stages of grass and clay court tournaments. She has been particularly successful on faster clay courts, such as the Madrid Open, where she won the title in 2021, 2023, and 2025. In 2026, Sabalenka won her twentieth consecutive tiebreak. While Sabalenka is known for her clutch factor in tiebreaks, she has also lost a large number of closely-contested prominent matches, such as the 2025 French Open final and 2026 Australian Open final, and holds a 22–20 (52%) record in singles finals overall.

Sabalenka frequently accompanies her shots with loud grunting. She said, "Honestly, I don't even hear myself when I am playing." She expressed her hope that her grunting does not disturb her opponents. Dmitry Tursunov became her primary coach in time for the grass court season in 2018. Sabalenka briefly split with Tursunov after the 2019 US Open. Although they reunited later in the year, she made the split permanent at the end of the season. Sabalenka briefly worked with Dieter Kindlmann before switching coaches to her longtime hitting partner and compatriot Anton Dubrov, aged 25 at the time. In 2025, Belarusian former professional tennis player and 10-time major doubles champion Max Mirnyi joined Sabalenka's coaching team as a consultant.

, her coaching team includes Dubrov; Mirnyi; fitness trainer Jason Stacy, a martial arts expert; and hitting partner Andrei Vasilevski.

Sponsorships

Since 2017, Sabalenka has been sponsored by Nike and Wilson for apparel, shoes and racquets. In 2023, Sabalenka partnered with Maestro Dobel Tequila. In 2024, Sabalenka partnered with wearable technology brand Whoop, and joined Audemars Piguet as a friend of the brand. In 2025, Sabalenka became a global ambassador and minority shareholder of IM8, a health‑supplement brand co‑founded by former footballer David Beckham, and partnered with hydration beverage brand Electrolit.

Personal life Sabalenka has a tiger tattoo on her left arm that has earned her the nickname "The Tiger", which she has used to refer to herself. She studied at the Belarusian State University in a sports-related program. Her father Sergey, a former ice hockey player, died suddenly in 2019 at age 43. He had meningitis.

Sabalenka's ex-boyfriend, Konstantin Koltsov, died of an apparent suicide in March 2024 at age 42. She became engaged to Brazilian entrepreneur Georgios Frangulis on March 3, 2026.

Political views In August 2020, during the 2020–2021 Belarusian protests, Sabalenka criticised the government of Alexander Lukashenko for its dispersal of peaceful protests and called for no violence, but was criticised by members of the Belarusian opposition for not using her platform to advocate the protest movement's goals. She separately praised the Belarusian government for "everything that is done for the country in general and for sports in particular". In 2020, during widespread protests after the disputed election, Sabalenka signed an open letter that said that sport should remain outside of politics. Belarusian media considered the letter supportive of Lukashenko, as it followed an open letter by Belarusian sporting figures demanding the election be invalidated.

Following the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Sabalenka expressed support for the Ukrainian people and the use of Ukraine-coloured ribbons: "I feel like people need our support. I just hope they understand that we're all really concerned. I think even 'sad' isn't even the right word." In January 2023, with regard to the war and the banning of Russian and Belarusian players from the 2022 Wimbledon Championships, Sabalenka said, "I just understand that it's not my fault." Her comments on the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the situation of Ukrainian tennis players were criticised by Lesia Tsurenko's coach Nikita Vlasov and former Ukrainian player Sergiy Stakhovsky for lacking substance and compassion. Sabalenka later indicated support for ending the war in Ukraine, saying: "If I could stop the war I would do it but unfortunately that doesn't lie in my hands. I just hope for peace."

During a press conference at the 2023 French Open, when asked about the war by Ukrainian journalist Daria Meshcheriakova, she said: "Nobody in this world, Russian athletes or Belarusian athletes, support the war. Nobody. How can we support the war? Nobody, normal people will never support it." She later said: "I don't want my country to be in any conflict, I don't support war, meaning I don't support Lukashenko right now."

Comments on transgender athletes In December 2025, Sabalenka stated in an interview with Piers Morgan that she opposed the participation of transgender women in women's tennis. While saying she had "nothing against" transgender people, she argued that transgender women retained a biological advantage over female players and that it was unfair for women to compete against "biological men." She also said that female athletes train throughout their lives to reach the highest level and should not have to compete against opponents whom she believed possessed inherent physical advantages.

In August 2026, Sabalenka reiterated her views on transgender athletes saying "it would be not really fair for the woman to compete against biological man" and voiced support for the WTA's new gender-testing policy that bans trans women from participating in the WTA Tour.

Television and film Sabalenka appears in the tennis docuseries Break Point, which premiered on Netflix on 13 January 2023.

Career statistics

Grand Slam tournament performance timelines

Singles

Received a walkover in the quarterfinals match, which does not count as a win or loss.

Doubles

Grand Slam tournament finals Singles: 8 (4 titles, 4 runner-ups)

Doubles: 2 (2 titles)

Year-end championship finals

Singles: 2 (2 runner-ups)

Records and achievements

Open Era records

This record was attained in the Open Era of tennis. Records in bold indicate peer-less achievements.