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Aryna Sabalenka kicked off her Wuhan Open title defense in hard-fought fashion earlier on Wednesday (October 8), beating Slovakia's Rebecca Sramkova in three topsy-turvy sets to advance to the second round. The World No. 1's boyfriend and entrepreneur Georgios Frangulis was in attendance during the match.
Following her fourth Major triumph at the US Open last month, Sabalenka took a break from the WTA Tour for nearly one month. The Belarusian was evidently rusty in her comeback match in Wuhan this week, as World No. 68 Sramkova quickly mounted a 6-4 lead over her.
With the Chinese crowd fully behind her, Aryna Sabalenka played some scintillating tennis in the next two sets to record a 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 victory in just under two hours. She received full support from her players' box, including her boyfriend Georgios Frangulis, who later took to his Instagram stories to post a photo from her first-round outing.
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For those unaware, Frangulis is the co-founder and CEO of Oakberry - an acai bowl brand with over 700 branches across the world. The 37-year-old originally hails from Greece but was raised in Brazil. During this time, he became interested in the country's staple, organic food that contains acai berries.
Aryna Sabalenka and Georgios Frangulis began dating each other some time after the 27-year-old's ex-boyfriend Konstantin Koltsov's suicide last March. Their relationship has evidently blossomed over the last few months, with the Greek being a constant fixture in the Belarusian's social media updates.
"My favorite person" - When Aryna Sabalenka got lovey-dovey toward Georgios Frangulis on his birthday
A few days after her successful 2024 US Open title defense, Aryna Sabalenka posted a collage of her photos with her boyfriend Georgios Frangulis. In the caption, the World No. 1 insisted that he brought her feelings of happiness and comfort.
"Happy birthday to my love @georgiosfrangulis❤️ my favorite person to do everything with (especially take pictures)🥰," Aryna Sabalenka wrote on her Instagram stories on September 9, 2025.
Earlier in July, the Belarusian disclosed to the tennis world how she had first met the Greek.
"We met when I was signing the contract with Oakberry. He’s the founder and owner of the brand. I went to see the team, and he was there. We talked a little bit, but then later on, we just went out for dinner, and that’s how everything started. We’ve been together for a year," she said in an interview with Cosmpolitan three months ago.
On the tennis front, Sabalenka will next face 16th-seeded Liudmila Samsonova for a place in the quarterfinals of the 2025 Wuhan Open on Thursday. She has won the WTA 1000 tournament three times since its inception (2018-19, 2024).
