Aryna Sabalenka’s boyfriend Georgios helps Belarusian drown out Italian Open heartbreak with special Rome getaway

Aryna Sabalenka’s boyfriend Georgios ensured that the couple’s stay in Rome ended on a positive note as the two headed out for dinner in the Italian capital. The lovebirds’ outing came in the aftermath of Sabalenka’s heartbreaking exit from the 2025 Italian Open in the women’s singles quarterfinals.

On Wednesday, May 14, Sabalenka locked horns with Zheng Qinwen in the last eight of the prestigious claycourt event’s WTA 1000 tournament. The Belarusian was the overwhelming favorite to win on paper, as she came into the contest with a 6-0 win-loss head-to-head record against Zheng. Remarkably though, the Chinese star prevailed in Rome, coming out on top against the reigning No. 1 with a surprisingly straightforward 6-4, 6-3 victory.

The very next day, Aryna Sabalenka shared a picture featuring herself and boyfriend Georgios Frangulis. In it, Frangulis could be seen planting a loving kiss on Sabalenka’s right cheek as the pair looked ready to have dinner at a restaurant in the Italian capital. The three-time Major champion captioned the post:

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"Last dinner in (Italy) 😭"

Sabalenka's loss to Zheng at the Foro Italico was marred by a controversial moment after a fan heckled the Belarusian.

Aryna Sabalenka lashed out at heckler during Italian Open QF loss to Zheng Qinwen

After Zheng Qinwen established a 1-0 lead in the second set, a fan in the crowd heckled Aryna Sabalenka, saying:

"Come on Aryna, play tennis"

Upon hearing the heckler's words, the World No. 1's frustrations boiled over, and she screamed out an obscenity, which the chair umpire heard.

"Shut the f**k up," Sabalenka yelled.

Unsurprisingly, the chair umpire gave Sabalenka a code violation for using an audible obscenity.

Despite her quarterfinal exit from the Italian Open, the Belarusian should be happy with the way things have turned out for her in this year's European claycourt swing. At the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, her first claycourt tournament of the year, Sabalenka finished as the runner-up with a loss to Jelena Ostapenko in the final.

Next, at the Madrid Open, the 20-time WTA Tour-level singles titlist dropped just one set on her way to the title. She defeated Coco Gauff in the final to mark her third Madrid Open title triumph. The Belarusian's next outing is set to come at the year's second Grand Slam tournament, the French Open, where she will surely be among the favorites for the title.

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Sudipto Pati

Sudipto is a Tennis journalist at Sportskeeda holding a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. He has an experience of 3+ years across the market research, travel, health, lifestyle and sports sectors.

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