A proposal mid-match in New York — and the world No. 1 doesn’t blink
On a lively Friday night in Queens, a packed Louis Armstrong Stadium watched two shows at once: high-level tennis and a surprise engagement. Aryna Sabalenka, the world No. 1 and defending US Open champion, beat Canada’s Leylah Fernandez 6-3, 7-6 (2) in the third round on August 29, 2025, while a fan dropped to one knee in the stands and proposed — right on the jumbotron.
The moment unfolded late in the match as Sabalenka moved toward the finish line. The crowd clocked it first, roaring as the woman, caught completely off guard, covered her face and nodded yes through tears. The couple kissed, the arena exploded, and the players got on with it — a very US Open sequence in a tournament famous for its noise and theater.
Sabalenka admitted she saw it all but refused to let her focus slip. She called it a sweet scene and said she tried not to smile too much in the middle of the point-to-point grind. The result said the rest. She served out the win and waved to a crowd still buzzing about a proposal that turned into a brief sideshow without crossing the line.
After the handshake, Sabalenka offered warm wishes to the newly engaged pair and kept it playful when talk turned to whether fans might try to recreate the moment. She glanced toward her boyfriend, Brazilian entrepreneur Georgios Frangulis, and joked, “I don’t want this kind of proposal... No pressure.” It landed with the room, light and quick, like her footwork on a big point.
If there’s a venue built for this kind of viral flourish, it’s the US Open. This is New York’s major — loud, spontaneous, and unafraid of spectacle. The jumbotron caught the proposal cleanly, the stadium leaned into it, and the tennis kept humming. Players talk often about managing the chaos at Flushing Meadows: pick a spot beyond the baseline, take a breath, and tune out everything else. Sabalenka did exactly that.
The match itself mirrored her recent hard-court form. She got out fast in the first set behind heavy returns and reliable first-serve numbers, then held her nerve in a tight second-set tiebreak. Fernandez fought hard to extend rallies and change pace, but Sabalenka’s first-strike tennis and cleaner baseline hitting separated them when it mattered.
From light-hearted jab to business as usual — Sabalenka’s New York march
Sabalenka has been dating Frangulis, the founder and CEO of Oakberry, since 2023. The pair turned their partnership into a small off-court project before this tournament, rolling out her signature açaí bowl. It’s the kind of brand play that fits her current lane: winning at the top level while building a broader presence beyond the lines.
On court, the goal is simpler. She moved into the fourth round to face Spain’s Cristina Bucsa, keeping pace with a draw that only gets rougher from here. The margins at the business end of a major are small, and Sabalenka knows it. The point-by-point discipline she showed while a stadium celebrated around her is the same attention she’ll need to defend her title.
The energy inside Louis Armstrong Stadium — roughly 14,000 fans — can feel like a pressure cooker. Noise swells between points, phones flash, and drama finds you. Players either resist that tide or ride it. Sabalenka did a bit of both. She acknowledged the moment, let the crowd have its fun, and still buttoned up the match in straight sets.
What stuck after the final ball wasn’t just a feel-good engagement or a joke to her boyfriend; it was how seamlessly she toggled between entertainment and execution. That balance has defined her rise: power when she can, patience when she must, and presence throughout.
Key takeaways from a very New York night:
- Scoreline: Sabalenka def. Leylah Fernandez 6-3, 7-6 (2) in the US Open third round.
- Viral moment: A surprise proposal hit the jumbotron at Louis Armstrong Stadium; the crowd erupted and the couple said yes.
- Player reaction: Sabalenka noticed but stayed locked in, later wishing the couple well and teasing her boyfriend with a smiling “No pressure.”
- Off-court note: She recently teamed up with Frangulis to debut a signature açaí bowl ahead of the tournament.
- What’s next: A fourth-round meeting with Cristina Bucsa as Sabalenka continues her title defense.
In a sport that usually demands silence, the US Open can feel like a concert with a baseline. On Friday, it briefly became a proposal party too. Sabalenka didn’t miss a beat — and that may matter more than the viral clip when the second week begins.