“There was a tough period where I was really happy to have him by my side, always cheering me up,” gushed Aryna Sabalenka about her boyfriend, Georgios Frangulis. It was the same tale after the 26-year-old picked up her maiden US Open and third major title as her man cheered loudly from the stands, boosting her morale on the big stage!

The couple started dating in early 2024, though it’s unclear how they met. Frangulis, who hails from San Paolo in Brazil, is reportedly a motorsports athlete, majorly competing in the Porsche GT3 Cup. But that’s not all. He was also preparing to be a lawyer before he took a detour toward entrepreneurship. In 2016, the Brazilian founded Oakberry—a healthy fast food brand specializing in açaí products—raising $63 million in funding last year. Did you know sponsor the Haas F1 team? Notably, the businessman also featured in Forbes Brazil last year. 

However, the only role he’s currently interested in fulfilling is being Sabalenka’s No. 1 fan!  

On Sunday, September 8, the Belarusian superstar earned redemption for her heartbreaking loss in last year’s finals to Coco Gauff (2-6, 6-3, 6-2). Riding on a power-packed game, Sabalenka overpowered Jessica Pegula in the summit clash, concluding the captivating battle 7-5, 7-5, and lifting the US Open title (her second Major of the season). Crowned the champion and cashing in her whopping $3.6 million paycheck, the World No. 2 has become the “Queen of New York.” Or at least, that’s what her lover expressed!

Taking to social media, the motorsports star posted a string of photos, posing with Sabalenka, her champion’s cup, and the moments that led to her triumph. The proud entrepreneur professed his love for her by captioning an adorable message, “I’m in love with the Queen of NY.” For those unaware, the 26-year-old WTA sensation first went public about her romance with Frangulis in May. However, a lot had happened before.

And if not for Frangulis, Sabalenka would’ve been in a completely different headspace—not a good one. 

Frangulis has been a major support system for the star after her ex-boyfriend, Konstantin Koltsov, a former Belarusian ice hockey player died of an apparent suicide in March 2024. He was 42 at the time. 

The Belarusian, who publicly acknowledged their relationship in June 2021 but were reportedly broken up at the time of his death, was performing at the Miami Open when she was “heartbroken”. Similar to what she did after her father’s death, Sergey, in 2019, Sabalenka threw herself into work to forget the pain. Later, she tole ‘The Independent’ in August, “Looking back, I think that I should have just stopped and just separated myself from tennis, just have a little break, recharge and start things over again.” Thankfully, the Belarusian had Frangulis’ support while she endured such a “difficult year”.

Georgios was her the one keeping her sane at the time. “There was a really tough period where I was really happy to have him by my side, always cheering me up, always making sure that we are doing some fun stuff,” she said of her boyfriend.

It was an emotional rollercoaster of a year, but the pieces eventually fell into place for the Belarusian. Well, almost. That was until the 26-year-old unknowingly made a terrible mistake on the US Open podium.

Aryna Sabalenka inadvertently cuts a sorry figure in hilarious scenes

It is no surprise that Aryna Sabalenka was missing in action at the Paris Olympics. The Belarusian superstar needed time to process and grieve the death of her former partner. However, with boyfriend Georgios Frangulis by her side, her composure returned just in time for the Western and Southern Open. After outfoxing Pegula in the title decider, Sabalenka’s hopes for an adorable gesture ended in stitches after she inadvertently referred to her lover as “boyfriends” during her award presentation speech.

She said, “Special thank you to my boyfriends… that’s my terrible English guys.” To much hilarity, the former World No. 1 was quick to realize her accidental slip-up and added, “Thank you to my boyfriend who keeps me happy every day. Thank you so much.”

With the US Open concluded and Sabalenka furnished with two Slam titles for the season, celebrations are on the cards. Most likely, the Belarusian will fly off on a getaway with her boyfriend to relax and recover just in time for her professional endeavors!