Not much time had passed since her last meeting, a few days ago, when she said goodbye in the round of 16 of the WTA 1000 in Indian Wells, in California, with a defeat against the American Emma Navarro. But, between that match and this Friday’s, she against the Spanish Paula Badosa, Aryna Sabalenkanumber 2 in the world ranking, experienced an exceptional situation: the death, due to an alleged suicide, according to police evidence, of her ex-boyfriend, Konstantin Koltsov. The 42-year-old former ice hockey player reportedly jumped from a balcony on Monday night.
After the initial shock of the event, Sabalenka confirmed her participation in the Miami Open. Initially, the Belarusian was not going to talk about what happened. But on Wednesday she spoke out on social media, and in an Instagram story, she wrote: “Konstantin’s death is an inconceivable tragedy, and even though we were no longer together, my heart is broken. Please respect my privacy and that of his family during this difficult time.” Sabalenka, who has established her residence in Miami, continued training at the Miami Open complex.
The tournament organization arranged for their match against Badosa to be the first of the day on Friday at the Grandstand. But rain forced a postponement of several hours at Hard Rock Stadium, home of the second WTA 1000 of the season. Only at 5:00 p.m. in Miami – an hour later in Buenos Aires – the players entered an almost unpopulated stadium, perhaps because many thought that there would be no action due to the unfavorable weather.
Both Sabalenka and Badosa wore black clothing, with some colored details. The Belarusian player was seen with a concentrated gesture throughout almost the entire match, although she allowed herself a smile at some point, and in the final greeting with her friend, whom she defeated 6-4 and 6-3, in this duel for the second wheel. “I spoke with her a lot, so I know what she is going through,” Badosa had said at a press conference. “For me it is a bit shocking to go through that because in the end she is my best friend and I don’t want her to suffer. It is a very hard situation. The match? It will be uncomfortable to play with her,” the Spanish, former number 2 and currently 80th in the world, had anticipated. After the last point, there was a heartfelt hug and emotional words online. Sabalenka rehearsed a lukewarm greeting to the audience. He is not expected to hold press conferences during the tournament.
The final greeting between Badosa and Sabalenka
Installed in the third wheel, the Belarusian will face the Ukrainian Anhelina Kalinina, 36th in the ranking. In this case, it is worth expecting a different environment. It is known that, due to the invasion of Russia with the support of Belarus, the Ukrainian players have decided not to greet their rivals from both countries. At the time, when she faced players from Russia, Kalinina avoided the physical crossing. “There is no secret, it is nothing personal, but her country is attacking Ukraine,” explained Kalinina some time ago, who has just beaten Caroline Wozniacki in three sets.
In another match for the Miami women’s tournament, the Argentine Nadia Podoroska (78th) said goodbye in the second round with a clear 6-1, 6-2 defeat against the American Coco Gauff, 3rd in the world. The meeting between Tomás Martín Etcheverry and the British was interrupted by rain when they tied 3-3 in the first set, and will continue on Saturday, and the debut of Sebastián Báez (18th) against the German Dominik Koepfer was also postponed.