Aryna Sabalenka punched her ticket to the semifinal round of the 2026 Miami Open after a dominant 6-4,6-4 win over American Hailey Baptiste.
Next up, she’ll face Elena Rybakina in a highly anticipated showdown at Hard Rock Stadium. Rybakina and Sabalenka have gone head-to-head 17 times. After Sabalenka defeated Rybakina earlier this month at Indian Wells, she holds a 9-7 career advantage.
While Sabalenka (No. 1) and Rybakina (No. 3) have become strong rivals, the Belarusian star enjoys playing against such a strong opponent. “I love it. I love it so much,” Sabalenka told the Tennis Channel.
“When someone pushes you to the limit, that’s when you grow, when you become a better player, and when you really test your level and your strength.
“We’ve played a lot of matches recently, and all of them have been battles, real shows. I’m super excited to face her again and can’t wait to step on court.”
The 27-year-old tennis star has been undefeated since she got engaged to fiancé, Georgios Frangulis. The Oakberry CEO proposed on March 3, and Sabalenka’s been glowing ever since. However, in an interview before her 21st WTA 1000 level semifinal, Sabalenka called out her future husband regarding her ring.
Aryna Sabalenka Wanted a Bigger Engagement Ring
While Sabalenka can’t wait to marry the love of her life, Frangulis apparently did not swing for the exact diamond she requested.
Speaking to the Broadcast Boys, she took a trivia quiz about herself. The host asks, “Sources estimate your engagement ring has how many carats?”
Sabalenka guessed, “12?”
“Correct,” the host answers. “Is that what you personally requested?”
“I requested 14, but I got 12,” Sabalenka said.
Even it’s not as big as she initially wanted, Sabalenka loves her ring. Speaking to WTA last week. When asked what brings sunshine into her life, she got “honest” and provided her answer in the following order: “My ring, my puppy, my family. Priorities, guys!”
The ring was created by Isabel Grutman, who detailed the stunning craftsmanship on Instagram. She captioned the video, “So happy and honored to have designed this engagement ring for such a special couple, @arynasabalenka and @georgiosfrangulis 🤍 Wishing you both a lifetime of love and happiness!”
The Tennis Community Celebrated Aryna Sabalenka & Georgios Frangulis’ Engagement
Sabalenka posted a video of the special moment Frangulis got down on one knee on Instagram. She wrote, “You & me, forever ♾️ 3.3.26 💍🤍.” The comments section filled with messages of congratulations from fellow tennis stars Carlos Alcaraz, Coco Gauff, Caroline Wozniacki, and more.
Novak Djokovic’s wife, Jelena Djokovic, commented, “Congratulations guys!!!! ❤️👏👏👏.” Amanda Anisimova added, “Omgggg 😍😭 congrats guyssss 🤍.” The Tennis Channel’s official account wrote, “Congratulations 🥹♥️ our hearts are so happy for you!!”
Sabalenka gushed in a second post, “I can finally call him something else… FIANCÉ 💍,” a nod to her previous comments about getting engaged. After winning the Brisbane Internationale title on January 11, she called out Frangulis for taking his sweet time to propose after two years of dating.
“Thank you to my boyfriend,” she told the crowd. “Hopefully, soon I can call you something else.”