Aryna Sabalenka played some of the best tennis of her life when she reached the final of the US Open. The semifinal was especially difficult for her as lost the first set in the worst way possible. But her triumphs impressed millions worldwide. It even went on to impress a millionaire, worth over $100 million, who made a huge bet on her. Sabalenka, impressed by him, even ended up inviting him to her final match in her box.

This is not the first time Dave Portnoy has dabbled in tennis betting. The owner of Barstool Sports made a large bet on a player last year. But it did not end up in the same manner as Sabalenka’s, but he received some compensation, regardless.

Aryna Sabalenka invites Barstool sports owner to her player’s box

In the semifinal of the US Open, fans of Sabalenka were biting their nails. The first set destroyed all hopes as she lost without winning a game. But the Belarusian star continued the match with her motivation on another level. She fought back, gained enormous momentum, and won the match with a great panache.

Her resolve impressed Dave Portnoy, and he bet $50,000 against Madison Keys. He won big and became a bigger follower of her than ever. After the match, he said, “She was animated, I liked watching her, and I kind of fell in love with her style“.

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In an interview later, he talked about being impressed with Sabalenka, which made the Belarusian beauty elated. She invited Portnoy to her final against Coco Gauff, in her player box. Although she lost in the final, she still thanked Portnoy for his praise on X. “@stoolpresidente You’re always welcome in my box 😂 🙌 See you at the Miami Open 🫶“.

This is not the first time Portnoy placed a large bet on tennis. But the last time he placed a bet on a player, he suffered a huge loss.

Portnoy loses an immense bet

In 2022, the founder of Barstool Sports blog placed a bet on Cameron Norrie for $30,000 in his fourth-round bout at the US Open. He ended up losing all the money as Norrie lost to Andrey Rublev in straight sets. But there was some consolation for him as he received a memento from the match – a racket Norrie smashed after his loss.

Portnoy made a safe bet after a year at the same tournament and can now forget his loss of last year. Will he tap more into tennis from now on?

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