Aryna Sabalenka Reveals the Importance of Fashion in her Game After Cruising Into US Open Second Round

Aryna Sabalenka will face Russian star Polina Kudermetova in the second round of the US Open.

Aryna Sabalenka Reveals the Importance of Fashion in her Game After Cruising Into US Open Second Round

Aryna Sabalenka (via X/Aryna Sabalenka fan)

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Aryna Sabalenka has admitted that wearing beautiful attire has an impact on her game on the court. The World No.1 wore a white dress with black and red stripes at the edges during her opening match against Swiss star Rebeka Masarova as she kicked off her title defense at the 2025 US Open.

The top seed is set to wear different uniforms at the US Open as Nike unveiled a black dress for night matches and a white dress for daytime matches. Sabalenka took to the court with the white dress to face Masarova and converted five of her six break opportunities during the clash. Despite a good push from the Swiss star Sabalenka held on to win the first set 7-5.

But in the second set, Masarova showed why she was playing in just her first Grand Slam main draw this year. The World No.109 hit 21 unforced errors, six more than Sabalenka, but converted only a single break in the set. Sabalenka then finished the match with 19 winners, three more than her opponent, winning 7-5, 6-1 in an hour and 21 minutes.

During her post-match press conference, she was asked about her beautiful outfit and her Wilson bag that had a tiger doll attached to it. The Belarusian revealed that she feels and plays better on the court with the right attire:

For me, it’s very important. You know, for me, stepping onto the court in big stadiums is like dressing up for the occasion. For me, it’s the moment when I can truly show who I am. The better dressed I am, the better I perform. The better I feel with my attire, the better I play. So, it’s very important for me. I’m very grateful to the Nike and Wilson teams for creating something so special. I think the bag is great, the racquet is amazing. My outfit is, I think, very cool.

Sabalenka is seeking to become the first woman to successfully defend the US Open women’s singles title since Serena Williams in 2014. The 27-year-old has been to three of the last four Grand Slam finals but has only managed to win at Flushing Meadows last year. She’s entering the event in New York at the back of an unsuccessful title defense in Cincinnati.

She crashed out of the tournament in the quarter-finals after losing to Elena Rybakina in straight sets just days after scraping past Emma Raducanu in the third round. Sabalenka would now hope to implement the tough lessons from this season’s four final losses on tour at the 2025 US Open.

Aryna Sabalenka motivated to defend the US Open women’s singles title

This is the first time since 2023 that Aryna Sabalenka has yet to win a Grand Slam title in August. Since winning her first major at the 2023 Australian Open, she has won a Slam before competing at the US Open. After finishing as runners-up in Melbourne and Roland Garros this season, she’s under pressure to win the major title in New York.

Aryna Sabalenka
Aryna Sabalenka (via X/The Tennis Letter)

With 2,000 points at stake at the US Open, Sabalenka revealed that she’s motivated to win the US Open. She added during the aforementioned press conference that she has an incredible feeling competing at the event:

It’s an incredible feeling. I love being the defending champion. For me, it’s motivating, you know, and I want to do well. I want to do the same as I did last year. I want to feel those emotions, and I’ve really worked hard for it. I hope to achieve my goal here.

Winning the US Open last year helped elevate Sabalenka to the World No.1 in the WTA rankings. She has now spent 44 weeks at the top, but her rival Iga Swiatek is already closing the gap and will get closer to her if she fails to win the US Open. Sabalenka will face Polina Kudermetova in the second round.