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Aryna Sabalenka Has Sweet Moment With 'Mini Me' After U.S. Open Round Two Win

Madison Williams

Aryna Sabalenka poses with a little girl dressed like her at the 2024 U.S. Open.
Aryna Sabalenka poses with a little girl dressed like her at the 2024 U.S. Open. / U.S. Open Tennis/Screengrab

Aryna Sabalenka got to meet one of her biggest fans after finishing her second round U.S. Open match on Wednesday.

One little girl in the crowd at Louis Armstrong Stadium was basically Sabalenka's "mini me." The girl wore an exact replica of Sabalenka's Nike pink dress, and she even had a fake tattoo in the same place the the World No. 2 does.

Sabalenka spotted the little girl in the crowd and had to meet her. The two look-a-likes took some photos together, including a few on Sabalenka's personal phone. The little girl even gifted her with a stuffed tiger, the animal in which Sabalenka's arm tattoo is of.

It was quite a cute moment.

Sabalenka advanced to the third round of the U.S. Open, where she was the runner-up last year to Coco Gauff. She beat Lucia Bronzetti in a quick two-set match on Wednesday, winning 6–3, 6–1. Her opponent for round three isn't determined yet, but she will compete on Friday, Aug. 30.

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Madison Williams
MADISON WILLIAMS

Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University. She is a dog mom and an avid reader.

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