Aryna Sabalenka cruised through her second-round U.S. Open match, but it was a young fan dressed as her “mini-me” that stole the show, capturing the hearts of tennis fans everywhere.
Bollywood Fever: Aryna Sabalenka not only secured her spot in the third round of the U.S. Open on Wednesday but also experienced a heartwarming moment with one of her youngest fans, who won over the crowd by dressing up just like her idol.
During Sabalenka’s 6-3, 6-1 victory at Louis Armstrong Stadium, the camera panned to a young girl in the stands who was dressed in a matching fuchsia Nike outfit, complete with a temporary tiger tattoo on her left forearm—an homage to Sabalenka’s own tattoo.

The girl enthusiastically cheered for Sabalenka, catching the attention of the Belarusian star.
“I looked up and I saw on the big screen, like, mini-me. It was so cute,” Sabalenka said with a laugh after the match. “It’s such a motivation to keep going, to inspire the young generation. That’s the main goal. That was a very adorable moment.”
Following her victory, Sabalenka rushed over to her young fan, who presented her with a stuffed toy tiger—a fitting gift, as Sabalenka has previously stated that her tiger tattoo inspires her to always fight to the finish.
The pair posed for photos together, with Sabalenka even snapping a few pictures on her own phone.
“(It was) the first time I’ve seen someone dress up the same as me and having little tattoo and little tiger,” Sabalenka told reporters, still clearly charmed by the encounter. “How cute is that?”
The moment quickly became a highlight of the tournament, with the U.S. Open’s social media accounts sharing a video of the interaction, captioning it, “Stop what you’re doing, we have the moment of the tournament.” Tunisian tennis star Ons Jabeur also chimed in, commenting, “So cute.
Second-seeded Sabalenka will aim to continue impressing fans of all ages when she faces Ekaterina Alexandrova in the third round on Friday.
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