Career Timeline of Aryna Sabalenka: Major Achievements and Milestones

From career breakthroughs to professional milestones, explore how Aryna Sabalenka made an impact.

Aryna Sabalenka is a highly accomplished Belarusian professional tennis player, currently ranked No. 1 in the world for women's singles. She has also previously held the No. 1 position in doubles. Her impressive career includes 24 WTA Tour-level singles titles, featuring four major championships: two Australian Open titles and two US Open titles. Furthermore, she has secured 11 WTA 1000 event wins. In doubles, Sabalenka has claimed six titles, notably the 2019 US Open and the 2021 Australian Open, both achieved in partnership with Elise Mertens.

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Full Timeline Career & Achievements Success & Recognition

2012: Start on ITF Women's Circuit

In 2012, Aryna Sabalenka began playing on the ITF Women's Circuit, competing in her hometown of Minsk, but she did not win a main draw match in any of her first five tournaments.

2013: Victoria Azarenka wins Australian Open

In 2013, Victoria Azarenka won the Australian Open. Sabalenka became the first woman to successfully defend her title there since Azarenka.

2013: First ITF Event and Doubles Title

In 2013, at the age of 15, Aryna Sabalenka competed in her first ITF event, the Grade-4 Tallink Cup in Estonia. She also won her first ITF doubles title at the Grade-5 Alatan Tour Cup in Belarus with Vera Lapko.

2014: First Professional Match Win

At the end of 2014, Aryna Sabalenka won her first professional match in Istanbul.

2014: Success in Grade 4 Events

In 2014, Aryna Sabalenka excelled at Grade 4 events, reaching her first singles final at the Estonian Junior Open in June and winning her first singles title at the MTV Total Junior Cup in Finland in October. She also defended her Alatan Tour Cup doubles title and won the singles title.

2014: Junior Fed Cup

In 2014, Sabalenka represented Belarus at the Junior Fed Cup, with the team finishing in sixth place.

2014: Serena Williams wins US Open

In 2014, Serena Williams won the US Open.

2015: European Junior Championships

In 2015, Aryna Sabalenka played in the European Junior Championships, her highest-level junior tournament, and lost in the second round to Markéta Vondroušová.

2015: Focus on Professional Events

In 2015, the Belarusian Tennis Federation persuaded Aryna Sabalenka and her team to focus on playing low-level professional events instead of junior tournaments.

2016: Fed Cup Debut and Top 200 Ranking

In 2016, Aryna Sabalenka made her Fed Cup debut in April, losing her only match. She also won two $50k titles, with the first in Tianjin putting her into the top 200 in May, and finished the year ranked No. 137.

2016: WTA Tour Debut and First Match Win

In 2016, Aryna Sabalenka played in her first WTA Tour main draw at the Dubai Open and won her first WTA Tour match at Wimbledon, defeating Irina Khromacheva. She also won against Lauren Davis at the Washington Open.

2016: Reaching Semifinals of all four major events

In 2016, Sabalenka became the first player since Serena Williams to reach the semifinals of all four major events in one year.

2016: Senior Fed Cup Debut

In April 2016, Sabalenka made her senior Fed Cup debut for Belarus, losing a doubles match against Russia.

2017: Fed Cup Runner-Up Finish

In 2017, Aryna Sabalenka and Aliaksandra Sasnovich led the Belarus Fed Cup team to a runner-up finish.

2017: Higher Ranking

In 2017, Aryna Sabalenka used her higher ranking to play exclusively on the WTA Tour.

2017: Fed Cup Success

In 2017, Belarus achieved Fed Cup success, but were unable to repeat it in 2018.

2018: Year-End Ranking

Although Aryna Sabalenka struggled at the Grand Slam tournaments, she ultimately finished the year 2018 with the same year-end ranking as in 2018.

2018: Wuhan Open Win

In 2018, Aryna Sabalenka had back-to-back wins at the Wuhan Open.

2018: Australian Open and Indian Wells Open

In 2018, Aryna Sabalenka lost her opening-round match at the Australian Open and reached the third round at the Indian Wells Open.

2018: Fed Cup Quarterfinal Loss to Germany

In 2018, Belarus lost their Fed Cup quarterfinal tie against Germany despite Sabalenka winning both of her singles matches.

2019: Coaching Changes with Dmitry Tursunov

Aryna Sabalenka briefly split with Dmitry Tursunov after the 2019 US Open. Although they reunited later in the year, she made the split permanent at the end of the season.

2019: Year-End Ranking No. 11

At the end of 2019, Aryna Sabalenka was ranked world No. 11 in singles.

2019: Sunshine Double and US Open Doubles Title

In 2019, Aryna Sabalenka began playing doubles regularly. With Elise Mertens as her partner, she won the Sunshine Double (Indian Wells and Miami) and the US Open.

2019: Wuhan Open Win

In 2019, Aryna Sabalenka had back-to-back wins at the Wuhan Open.

2019: Belarus Remains in World Group

In 2019, Belarus secured their place in the Fed Cup World Group for 2019 after defeating Slovakia in the play-offs.

2019: Fed Cup Semifinal Loss to Australia

In 2019, Belarus was eliminated by Australia in the Fed Cup semifinals, despite Sabalenka's strong performance.

2019: Sunshine Double in doubles

In 2019, Sabalenka previously completed the Sunshine Double in doubles at the Miami Open.

2019: Sabalenka vs Rybakina Head-to-Head

Since 2019, Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina have met 17 times with Sabalenka leading 10-7 in head-to-head matches.

2020: Sabalenka vs Gauff Head-to-Head

Since 2020, Sabalenka and Coco Gauff have met 13 times, with Sabalenka edging the head-to-head at 7-6.

February 2021: Australian Open and Doubles Ranking

In February 2021, Aryna Sabalenka was defeated in the fourth round of the Australian Open. Sabalenka won the doubles competition with Elise Mertens and ascended to world No. 1 in the doubles rankings on 22 February 2021.

2021: Australian Open Doubles Win

In 2021, Aryna Sabalenka and Elise Mertens won the Australian Open doubles title.

2021: Australian Open Doubles Title and World No. 1 Ranking

In 2021, Aryna Sabalenka and Elise Mertens won their second major title at the Australian Open, and Sabalenka became the world No. 1 in doubles.

2021: Abu Dhabi Open Title

In 2021, Aryna Sabalenka began the year with a nine-match winning streak, winning the title at the Abu Dhabi Open and extending her streak to 15 matches, reaching a new ranking of No. 7.

2021: US Open Semifinal

In 2021, Aryna Sabalenka made her best run of the season at the US Open, reaching the semifinals before being defeated by Iga Świątek.

2021: Major Singles Semifinal Appearances

In 2021, Aryna Sabalenka made two major singles semifinal appearances and rose to world No. 2.

2021: Madrid Open Title and Top 5 Ranking

In 2021, Aryna Sabalenka won the title at the Madrid Open. As a result of her fourth WTA 1000 title, she entered the top 5 rankings in singles at world No. 4.

2021: Sabalenka vs Swiatek Head-to-Head Rivalry

Since 2021, Sabalenka and Iga Świątek have met 13 times, with Świątek leading 8-5 in the head-to-head matches, establishing one of the greatest rivalries in women's tennis.

2022: Qatar Ladies Open and Stuttgart Open

In 2022, Aryna Sabalenka reached the semifinals at the Qatar Ladies Open and the final at the Stuttgart Open, losing to Iga Świątek in both instances. She also had early exits at Indian Wells, Miami, and Charleston.

2022: First Player since 2022 to achieve Sunshine Double

In 2022, Sabalenka became the first player since 2022 to achieve the Sunshine Double

2022: Hired Biomechanics Expert

In 2022, Sabalenka served a total of 440 double faults. Following the 2022 Canadian Open, she hired biomechanics expert Gavin Macmillan to revamp her serve.

January 2023: Appearance in Break Point

Aryna Sabalenka appeared in the tennis docuseries Break Point, which premiered on Netflix on 13 January 2023.

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2023: 2023 Madrid Open final

In 2023 at the Madrid Open final, Sabalenka won in three sets in 2 hours and 25 minutes against Świątek.

2023: Australian Open Win and World No. 1 Ranking

In 2023, Aryna Sabalenka won her first major singles title at the Australian Open, finished runner-up at the US Open, and obtained the world No. 1 ranking for the first time.

2023: Custom Garments by Nike

In 2023, Nike began to design custom garments for Sabalenka starting from the US Open. Sabalenka is also endorsed by Wilson, specifically using the Wilson Blade range of racquets.

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2023: Australian Open Grand Slam

In 2023, Sabalenka defeated Rybakina in three sets at the Australian Open final to win her first Grand Slam title.

2023: Rematch of Indian Wells Open Final

In 2023, Sabalenka faced Elena Rybakina in a rematch of their Indian Wells Open final.

2023: Indian Wells and Miami Performances

In 2023, Sabalenka had a strong run at Indian Wells, reaching the final but losing to Elena Rybakina. Following this, she advanced to the quarterfinals in Miami, where she was defeated by Sorana Cîrstea.

2023: Serve Improvements

In 2023, under Gavin Macmillan's guidance, Aryna Sabalenka's serve saw quick improvements and became a reliable weapon.

2023: Rematch of Australian Open

Sabalenka played a rematch of their 2023 Australian Open.

2024: Incorporating Drop Shots

During the 2024 clay season, Sabalenka began to incorporate more drop shots into her game, which paired well with her power from the baseline.

2024: 2024 Madrid Open final

In 2024 at the Madrid Open final, Świątek defeated Sabalenka in three sets in 3 hours and 11 minutes.

2024: Australian Open Title Defense and Year-End No. 1 Ranking

In 2024, Aryna Sabalenka defended her Australian Open title and won a third major singles title at the US Open, finishing as the year-end No. 1 for the first time.

2024: Aggressive Baseliner

In 2024, Aryna Sabalenka's playing style is defined by aggressive baseline play, characterized by a powerful serve and groundstrokes. During the 2024 US Open, her forehand speed averaged 129 km/h (80 mph). She also demonstrates a high serve proficiency, winning 62.7% of serve points, ranking her fifth on tour, and securing 78.5% of her service games.

2024: 2024 Australian Open Semifinals

In 2024, Sabalenka defeated Gauff at the Australian Open semifinals on her way to defending the title.

2024: Wuhan Open Title

In 2024, Sabalenka won her third Wuhan Open title, defeating Zheng Qinwen in the final.

2024: Injury and Cincinnati Open Victory

In June 2024, Sabalenka suffered a right shoulder injury, forcing her to retire from the Berlin Ladies Open. She then withdrew from the 2024 Wimbledon Championships. In August 2024, she won the Cincinnati Open, defeating Iga Świątek and Jessica Pegula.

June 2025: Global Ambassador of IM8

In June 2025, Sabalenka became a global ambassador and minority shareholder of IM8, a health‑supplement brand co‑founded by former footballer David Beckham.

2025: Year-End World No. 1 and WTA Player of the Year

At the conclusion of the 2025 season, Sabalenka finished as year-end world no. 1 for the second consecutive time and was named WTA Player of the Year for the second consecutive year.

2025: US Open Title Defense and Runner-Up Finishes

In 2025, Aryna Sabalenka defended her title at the US Open and was runner-up at the Australian and French Opens, holding the No. 1 position for the entire season.

2025: Madrid Open Title and French Open Final

In 2025, Aryna Sabalenka won the title at the Madrid Open. She also reached her first major final on clay at the French Open in 2025.

2025: Max Mirnyi Joins Coaching Team

In 2025, Belarusian former professional tennis player and 10-time major doubles champion Max Mirnyi joined Sabalenka's coaching team as a consultant.

2025: Cincinnati Open & Wuhan Open Quarterfinals

In 2025, Rybakina won their match in the Cincinnati Open quarterfinals where Sabalenka was the defending champion. Sabalenka then defeated Rybakina at the Wuhan Open quarterfinals. Rybakina defeated Sabalenka at the 2025 WTA Finals.

2025: 2025 French Open

In 2025, Sabalenka and Gauff faced off again in the final of the French Open, with Gauff overtaking Sabalenka for her first French Open Major Championship win and second Grand Slam overall.

2025: Tiebreak Record

In 2025, Sabalenka set an Open Era record for most tiebreaks won by a woman in a single season, winning 22 out of 25 played. This included a streak of nineteen consecutive tiebreaks won between February and October. She also lost the 2025 French Open final.

2025: Brisbane International Win

In 2025, Sabalenka started the year by winning the Brisbane International, claiming her 18th singles title.

2025: Rematch of WTA Finals finals

Sabalenka played a rematch of their 2025 WTA Finals finals.

2026: Australian Open Final and Sunshine Double

In 2026, Aryna Sabalenka reached an eighth major singles final at the Australian Open and completed the Sunshine Double (Indian Wells and Miami).

2026: Australian Open Final and Indian Wells Open Final

In 2026, Rybakina defeated Sabalenka at the Australian Open final and Sabalenka won against Rybakina at the Indian Wells Open final.

2026: Miami finals

In 2026, Sabalenka met Gauff in the Miami finals, where Sabalenka battled through Gauff in three sets to win Miami for the second time, as well as the Sunshine Double.