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When Aryna Sabalenka Launched Her Tennis Career With WTA 125K Mumbai Open Title Win in 2017

Tanmay Roy
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When Aryna Sabalenka Launched Her Tennis Career With a WTA 125K Mumbai Open Title Win in 2017

Aryna Sabalenka might be the biggest name in women’s tennis at the moment, but in 2017 she was just starting out in her career. Before defeating Zheng Qinwen in the final to win her second Australian Open title this year, Sabalenka won her first major trophy at a WTA 125 event in India – The L&T Mumbai Open.

Aryna Sabalenka, then 18 years old, saw some success in the Fed Cup, The Washington Open, and The Tashkent Open in 2017. However, the Mumbai Open was the biggest win of her career at the time. It was the beginning of her rise to stardom.

The win saw her crack the Top 100 WTA rankings, cementing her position at 73. The prize money for the winner, which Sabalenka won, was $11,000. The overall prize money for the tournament stood at $125,000.

Aryna Sabalenka beat Dalila Jakupovic of France 6-2, 6-3 in the finals to win the trophy. She beat Amandine Hesse of France with the same score in the semifinals. This was the first of the two editions that happened in Mumbai, and Sabalenka would fondly remember the tournament and her time spent here. In 2018, it was Luksika Kumkhum of Thailand who won the trophy and since then it has gone on a hiatus.

The tournament is returning after a gap of 6 years, but Aryna Sabalenka won’t be present this time around. She has moved ahead in her career in leaps and bounds since then and is currently the World No.2 player. Sabalenka has bigger tournaments and bigger goals on her horizon now, having won two Grand Slams, one final in US Open 2023, and 14 titles overall. She will be eyeing WTA 500 events like the Dubai Open and the Sunshine Swing in the US.

Here are more FAQs on Aryna Sabalenka –

How much has Aryna Sabalenka earned in prize money in her career?

Aryna Sabalenka has earned a total of $23,662,563 in prize money from her tennis career. She stands 17th on the list of ‘WTA career prize money leaders’.

How many WTA titles has Aryna Sabalenka won?

Aryna Sabalenka has won 14 WTA singles titles in her career so far. It started with the Mumbai Open, a WTA 125 event, and soon followed with the 2018 Connecticut Open and the Wuhan Open.

What is the Aryna Sabalenka net worth?

Although the exact details of her monetary contracts with endorsement brands are unknown, her net worth, including her prize money earnings is well over $25 million. Nike endorses her for shoes and apparel whereas Wilson endorses her racquets.

Is Aryna Sabalenka injured?

Aryna Sabalenka was last injured at the Miami Open 2023, which forced her to exit from the Charleston Open last year. There are, however, no such reports about any injury that troubles her currently. Even as Aryna Sabalenka ruled herself out of the Qatar Open 2024, but that is due to fatigue and wanting to get rest before playing in the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships 2024 and the Indian Wells and Miami Masters.

She will look to move past Iga Swiatek to be the world no. 1 tennis player in the coming months.

About the author

Tanmay Roy

Tanmay Roy

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Tanmay Roy is a Tennis Journalist at The SportsRush, whose lifelong passion and zeal for the sport landed him this position. A writer with over 1000 articles under him, Tanmay fell in love with tennis in 2005 when Roger Federer defeated Andy Roddick in the Wimbledon final after a stunning three sets. Tanmay followed the likes of the Big Three - Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Rafael Nadal from the mid-noughties to now. His interest was stronger than ever after the wonderful 2009 Wimbledon Final which saw Roger Federer win after a see-saw 5-set match. His favorite female tennis player is Serena Williams and Monica Seles. Tanmay's favorite match-up to date is Roger Federer vs Andy Roddick in the 2000s. If possible, the John Isner vs Nicolas Mahut first round match at the 2010 Wimbledon is the only match Tanmay would love to watch Live by going back in time. Of late, he is a huge fan of Jannik Sinner and believes the youngster has the potential to break every record.

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