Aryna Sabalenka is “in love” with her new boyfriend after the death of her ex

Belarusian tennis star Aryna Sabalenka will compete in the US Open tennis Grand Slam final on Saturday, September 7. Sabalenka, ranked No. 2 in the world, will face No. 6 in the world, Jessica Pegula.

While Pegula is competing in her first career final, Sabalenka, who won the Australian Open in two consecutive years, is looking to win her third title. Her boyfriend Georgios Frangulis cheers Sabalenka on at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

In July, Brazilian Frangulis posted a photo of the couple on Instagram and Sabalenka made her feelings for the motorsports athlete clear. “The love of my life 🐒 ❤️ 💜 ❤️,” she wrote in the comments. He replied: “@arynasabalenka, my love 💜.”

While some fans were surprised at how quickly Sabalenka moved on, others were simply thrilled to see her so happy after such a devastating year. In March, Sabalenka's ex-boyfriend Konstantin Koltsov, a former hockey star, died by apparent suicide, Miami-Dade police reported, according to ESPN. He was 42.

Koltsov, who played for the Pittsburgh Penguins, and Sabalenka confirmed their relationship in 2021. The 26-year-old said she and the two-time Olympian were “no longer together” at the time of Koltsov's death, People reported. However, his death, which occurred while he was in Florida to support her performance at the Miami Open, left her “heartbroken,” she told The Independent in August.

“Looking back, I definitely think I should have just quit and walked away from tennis, just taken a little break, recharged my batteries and then started again.”

Aryna Sabalenka is grateful to have Georgios Frangulis by her side after a “difficult year”

Before Sabalenka defeated Emma Navarro in the semifinals at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, New York, she spoke about supporting Frangulis during a “difficult year.”

“There was a really tough time where I was really glad to have him by my side, always cheering me up and always making sure we did some fun things,” she told People.

“But I make sure that I somehow forget about tennis and focus on the good things and enjoy my life. Even if something goes wrong in my career. So yes, he was my biggest support and yes, I'm really happy to have him by my side.”

GettyGeorgios Frangulis sits behind Jason Stacy, fitness coach of Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka at the 2024 US Open.

Frangulis is CEO and co-founder of superfood company Oak Berry, which named Sabalenka its brand ambassador in January. “Aryna Sabalenka is a great example of the future of tennis and we are working closely with her to create some really exciting things over the years,” Frangulis said in a company statement at the time. “We can't wait for our fans to join us!”

Sabalenka first made their relationship public on Instagram in May. She captioned the post, “This is what my days off the court have been like lately 😉🫶” and included a photo of the couple walking in the rain with their arms crossed.

Aryna Sablenka accidentally thanked her “friends” after defeating Jessica Pegula at the Cincinnati Open

Sabalenka struggled to stay healthy after Kolstov's death and decided not to compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics. The break has helped her game, however, as she won the Cincinnati Open in August, defeating Pegula 6-3, 7-5 in the final.

After that, Sabalenka wanted to thank Frangulis, but accidentally said: “Special thanks to my friends… these are my terrible Englishmen.” Then she added: “Thanks to my boyfriend who makes me happy every day. Thank you very much.”

Emily Bicks covers the NFL for Heavy.com, focusing on the Bills, Seahawks and Chiefs. She has been writing for Heavy since 2019 and has interviewed some of the sport's biggest stars, including Jerry Rice, Shaquille O'Neal and Stefon Diggs. More about Emily Bicks