Aryna Sabalenka showed love for rescue pup Wilson while reacting to boyfriend Georgios Fragulis’ photodump. The Belarusian tennis star met the dog during the US Open Fan Week.
During one of the Fan Week activities, Sabalenka met a rescue pup and instantly fell in love. She shared an Instagram Story asking fans to help convince her team to let her adopt Wilson.
More recently, her boyfriend Frangulis shared a photodump on Instagram. There were multiple US Open-related images along with luxury watches and moments with Sabalenka. One standout image showed the Belarusian in an adorable capture with Wilson.
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In the comments, the WTA World No. 1 expressed her love for the rescue pup, writing:
"I need my Wilson 🐕 😢"
This comes hours after Sabalenka won her first-round match at the New York Major. The defending champion took on Rebeka Masarova on Sunday, August 24, at the Arthur Ashe Stadium and defeated the Swiss 7-5, 6-1.
Aryna Sabalenka praises new addition Max Mirnyi after US Open win
Aryna Sabalenka, the world No. 1 and reigning US Open champion, battled past Rebeka Masarova with a 7-5, 6-1 victory. Despite a rocky start that saw her grappling with inconsistent serves and double-faults, she found control in the second set.
Sabalenka entered the hard-court Major with limited match play. She failed to defend her Cincinnati Open title earlier this month, and it was the only warm-up tournament she played since Wimbledon. The Belarusian skipped both the Washington and Toronto events.
Watching attentively from her box at the US Open was newly added mentor and Belarusian doubles legend Max Mirnyi. He won 10 Grand Slam doubles titles and has joined long-time coach Anton Dubrov’s crew to sharpen Sabalenka's gameplay.
Sabalenka was full of praise for the legend after the match (via BBC):
"I feel like we improved a couple things together and I’m looking forward to working more with this wonderful guy... Hopefully we can finally improve my volley – maybe one day you will see me coming to the net more often but for now it’s a work in progress."
In a playful reference to Mirnyi's nickname, 'Beast,' she added:
"Now you can call our team Beauty and the Beast."
With Mirnyi in her corner, Sabalenka is aiming to break Flushing Meadows history by becoming the first woman since Serena Williams to defend her US Open title. Up next for the World No. 1 is a clash against 22-year-old Polina Kudermetova.
