Known for her fierce style and sharp wit, Aryna Sabalenka always brings the drama—on and off court. After the 2025 Australian Open final, she quipped to her team, “It’s your fault, guys!” And now, the World No. 1 is off to a strong start at the US Open, defeating Rebeka Masarova 7-5, 6-1 in a gritty opener in New York! However, it wasn’t the only highlight of her day!

During the match, while booking her ticket to Round 2, all eyes caught a new face in her box. Pam Shriver couldn’t resist asking in the post-match interview, “I noticed someone new in your box. A hell of a doubles player, Max Mirnyi. Known as the beast from Belarus…” Sabalenka shined a spotlight on her team with a cheeky response: “Now you can call our team Beauty & the Beast, I guess,” sending the crowd and her team into laughter.

So, who is this “beast” in her corner? Max Mirnyi, a retired Belarusian pro, earned the nickname “The Beast.” He peaked at No. 18 in singles but made his mark as a doubles legend, holding the World No.1 doubles for 57 weeks. He won six men’s doubles and four mixed doubles Grand Slam titles, including the US Open (2000, 2002) and French Open (2005, 2006, 2011, 2012). He also took gold in mixed doubles at the 2012 London Olympics with Victoria Azarenka. Mirnyi retired in 2018.

This switch surprised many since Sabalenka has been consistent with her longtime head coach Anton Dubrov since 2020. Formerly her hitting partner, Dubrov became coach and played a key role in her success, including her 2023 Australian Open win. While she tweaked her extended team, adding biomechanics coach Gavin MacMillan in 2022 to work on her serve.

Her steady partnership with Dubrov was a cornerstone. Interestingly, MacMillan now works with Sabalenka’s rival Coco Gauff, who recently reshuffled her team after parting ways with Matt Daly, and has struggled past early rounds since Paris.

As for Sabalenka, was this fresh change needed? Possibly! Though she’s had a strong season, she hasn’t won a title since Madrid in May. Miami and Brisbane were highlights, but Grand Slams have slipped away despite consecutive finals at the Australian Open, French Open, and Wimbledon. Even Rennae Stubbs pointed out her inconsistency.

Stubbs calls out Aryna Sabalenka’s struggles ahead of the US Open

Right now, Sabalenka faces her own uphill battle after tough losses—the Australian Open final crushed her three-peat hopes, the French Open final slipped away, and Wimbledon ended at the semifinals. Heading into the US Open, Serena’s ex-coach Rennae Stubbs laid it out straight on her podcast: “I’ve been watching Aryna Sabalenka practice… we’ve talked about this, the matches she is losing and the way she’s playing over the last couple of weeks.” The warning signs? Instability.

Stubbs zoomed in on a glaring weakness. “She doesn’t miss by like a foot right, she misses in the bottom of the net or in the fence. I’ve never seen such a great player her margins for missing are gigantic… like Serena would miss, it would just be like a foot outside the line.” That difference between missing narrowly and missing wildly could be what breaks Sabalenka’s title defense.

Her critique sharpened further: “The ball flies, but it’s rare. Sabalenka in practice… indoors, closed Arthur Ashe Stadium, no sun. She’d have a mid-court forehand twenty feet long like that. That’s so weird, I don’t understand how you can’t,” she said. Then, “It’s like she doesn’t feel the ball, but when she’s hitting, it’s amazing. Then she can play six points where you’re like where that come from? … it’s the ups and downs for me with Sabalenka that must as a coach, I would be like absolutely, my sphincter would be so tight because no ball is regular.”

But Aryna Sabalenka showed grit in her US Open opener, tested in the first set but breaking Rebeka Masarova at 5-all to seal the set. The second set was a clinic as she dominated the net, winning 15 of 17 points there. She converted five of six break chances and finished with 19 winners against 15 unforced errors. Masarova’s stats flipped that.

Now, she’s set to face Polina Kudermetova in Round 2! Will she steady the ship and push deep? Share your take below, and catch every twist in our US Open live blog!