Just In: Aryna Sabalenka admits to ‘distracting rivals’ with secret weapon worth £295k
Aryna Sabalenka has jokingly admitted that she’s trying to “distract her opponents” with her lavish jewellery at the US Open. The world No. 1’s unique Nike kit has hit headlines this week, as she has worn a mesh dress over a sports bra and shorts in her first three matches, opting for either an orange or black colourway.
But Sabalenka’s on-court look extends beyond just the clothes. She is also wearing around £295k ($400k) of custom jewellery from Material Good, made to match her US Open kit. The two-time defending champion has a matching necklace, bracelet, and earrings, made of 18-karat yellow gold and set with plenty of gemstones, including sapphire and garnet.
She was asked about her glamorous look after beating Kamilla Rakhimova 6-3 6-4 in the third round, and said: “Well, this is a Material Good set, designed for me for the US Open. Fully inspired by the US Open vibes, colourful, bold, bright, a lot!
“I love it, and the main tactic is to distract my opponents with the sparkes. But yeah, this is a vintage set that I am in love with.
The distraction technique is working, as Sabalenka has reached the second week without dropping a set. The Belarusian lifted the trophy here in 2024 and 2025, and is looking to complete a hat-trick.
As the two-time defending champion, she has played most of her matches on the Arthur Ashe Stadium over the last few years. But Sabalenka had a change of scenery on Friday, opening play on the Louis Armstrong Stadium at 11am local time.
Honestly, I think it’s the first time I play morning session, 11am, Louis Armstrong, and it’s a full stadium,” the top seed told the crowd. “I’m so grateful, thank you so much for coming, for bringing such a great atmosphere. Thank you. It’s a dream and thanks to you guys for supporting me.”
Sabalenka was made to work in the second set against Rakhimova before breaking towards the end of the match and closing it out. She’s now spent 99 weeks as the world No. 1, and is used to seeing opponents raise their level against her. But she also enjoys it.
First of all, it’s annoying!” the four-time Major champion joked. “Secondly, yeah, she played incredible tennis. She really pushed me so hard in the second set, and I love when they bring their best tennis because they really push me to improve, they motivate me to keep working really hard and to keep trying my best every time I’m out here.
“I’m super happy that I was able to close this match in straight sets because she’s a fighter, she’s such a nice girl, and always tough matches against her.”
