Aryna Sabalenka thanked her boyfriend for encouraging her during this “difficult year”.

The world number 2 is hoping to win her third Grand Slam title at the US Open after reaching the final 12 months ago.

Before her quarterfinal, Sabalenka raved about her partner Georgios Frangulis and explained how happy she was to have his support.

Sabalenka and Frangulis first made their relationship public in May when they were invited into the Haas team’s garage at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. Frangulis is the founder of Oakberry and Sabalenka is a brand ambassador for the company Acai

Since her first appearance earlier this year, Frangulis has followed the two-time Grand Slam winner around the world on the professional tennis tour. And Sabalenka has now thanked her boyfriend for his support.

“There was a really tough time where I was really glad to have him by my side. He always cheered me up and always made sure we did some fun stuff,” the Belarusian told People.

“But I make sure that I somehow forget about tennis and focus on the good things and enjoy my life. Even if something goes wrong in my career. So yes, he was my biggest support and yes, I’m really happy to have him by my side.”

Sabalenka has experienced ups and downs this season. She had to withdraw from Wimbledon due to a shoulder injury and skipped the Olympic Games. Off the court, her ex-boyfriend Konstantin Kolstov died during the Miami Open in March. And she admitted it had been a “difficult year.”