© Getty Images Sport – Al Bello
Aryna Sabalenka showed some outstanding mental strength and fortitude on Friday as she started her Miami Open campaign with a notable win over Paula Badosa, just a couple of days after her ex-boyfriend Konstantin Koltsov committed “an apparent suicide” in Miami.
Sabalenka, who was struck by tragedy earlier this week when former Belarusian hockey pro player Koltsov died at 42, had a first-round bye at the tournament before beating former world No. 2 Badosa 6-4 6-3.
For the Badosa match, world No. 2 Sabalenka came out in an all-black outfit, which wasn’t surprising considering what just happened a couple of days earlier. After the match was over, Sabalenka didn’t conduct an on-court interview and she also won’t be conducting a press conference – something that was agreed on earlier this week.
On Tuesday, it was reported that Koltsov – who started dating Sabalenka in 2021 – suddenly died in Miami. Initially, it was reported that a blood clot issue was the cause of the death. But then, the Miami-Dade Police Department revealed the case was investigated as a suicide, and even more details came out when Sabalenka revealed that they went together anymore.
