Countless expectations were bagged on Jessica Pegula’s shoulders as she booked a final showdown against Aryna Sabalenka at the Cincinnati Masters. But it was Sabalenka, the hard-court expert, who got on a roll and grabbed game after game right from the word go. It was a straight-set drubbing for Pegula, as she lost 6-3, 7-5. After an emphatic win in the finals of a WTA 1000 event, Sabalenka was quick enough to find her way to the stands, where the love of her life was getting impatient for an embrace.

Aryna Sabalenka hit the match point against Pegula and therefore approached her and the chair umpire for the traditional handshake. As soon as she was done with the formalities, the Belarusian locked target to her boyfriend and quickly approached him to celebrate the victory in an adorable way. The couple was seen sharing a romantic moment as Georgios Frangulis bent down from the stands to treat the champion with a warm kiss.

This happened after Aryna Sabalenka claimed her first title since winning the Australian Open in January. The Belarusian, who recently moved up to No. 2 in the rankings, showed her dominance throughout the tournament as she won her 15th WTA title without even losing a single set.

Sabalenka gave a commendable performance in the final match where she managed to hit 10 aces and dropped only nine points on serve. Although Pegula appeared to be in strong form after successfully defending her title in Toronto, she was seen struggling with her serve in the Cincinnati final, as she recorded five double faults. Sabalenka broke Pegula’s serve in the fourth game and used that momentum to close out the first set with an unreturnable serve.

Later, Sabalenka’s victory speech turned into a complete pack of entertainment for the fans. She expressed gratitude to her team, saying, “We’ve been through a lot but we’ve never stopped working, never stopped improving ourselves.” She then made a lighthearted mistake while thanking her boyfriend Georgios Frangulis. “Thank you to my boyfriends – I said boyfriends, oh my god,” she said. Correcting herself immediately, the champion added, “Thank you to my boyfriend for keeping me happy every day.” The 26-year-old has been dating Frangulis, the millionaire CEO of Oakberry, for the last few months.

Aryna Sabalenka’s boyfriend becomes an active companion on her vacation

The fans were heavily concerned as Aryna Sabalenka decided to go on a break post a shoulder injury. The Belarusian tennis star missed the 2024 Wimbledon Championships due to shoulder pain and therefore became more active online during that period.

Sabalenka started the year strong, winning the 2024 Australian Open by defeating Qinwen Zheng. However, she later encountered challenges during the hardcourt season and struggled to find her rhythm on clay. Despite this, the Belarusian finished as the runner-up in both the Madrid and Rome tournaments, losing to World No. 1 Iga Swiatek each time.

Sabalenka later updated her followers about her shoulder problem and shared that she is spending quality time with her new boyfriend, Georgios Frangulis. “Hydrating,” she wrote alongside a set of pictures in which the WTA star could be seen having a good time with Frangulis.

Although Sabalenka made it clear that the time was not just to chill but to get herself ready for the event ahead, it seemed the break worked for her, as she has returned in a great frame of mind.