Work hard, play harder!
Aryna Sabalenka had an epic celebration planned after her dramatic victory over rival Elena Rybakina in Sunday’s BNP Paribas Open final—even if she had to take the party on the road.
After saving a championship point to edge rival Elena Rybakina in a final-set tiebreaker, her first triumph over Rybakina in their last five final matches, Sabalenka gave her puppy, Ash, a celebratory ice bath and smooched with new fiancé Georgios Frangulis.
But all that paled in comparison to the burgers and cocktails that awaited her on her upcoming cross-country flight to compete in Miami, she joked in her post-match press conference.
Q. You’re flying out tonight. What does the celebration on the plane look like for you?
ARYNA SABALENKA: Well, I guess a couple espresso martinis, probably, and Five Guys to go. Basically, that’s why I’m never in good shape, because it’s Five Guys and espresso martinis in celebration (laughing).
After a tournament she said she’d remember “for the rest of her life,” Sabalenka now turns her attention towards becoming the fifth woman in the Open Era to complete the Sunshine Double of winning Indian Wells and Miami back-to-back.
“The schedule is really tight and we’re on to the next one, and I cannot relax too much, because I’m defending champion there, and also, it’s Miami. I love being there, playing there, so I want to do well there, as well,” she said.
She defeated Jessica Pegula to win the title in the city where she has a residence 12 months ago, and told Tennis Channel before she departed Tennis Paradise that a long-awaited crowning moment in Palm Springs could be just what she needs for a repeat.
“With the vibes that I’m taking from here, I think I’ll be able to be there, to fight, to do my very best and defend that beautiful trophy,” she said.