23 March 2024 , 08:02
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Aryna Sabalenka shared a touching moment with close friend Pauldo Badosa after winning at the Miami Open in the same week as the tragic death of her ex-boyfriend Konstantin Koltsov.
The police have said that Koltsov's death was an "apparent suicide" saying the former Pittsburgh Penguins ice hockey star "jumped from a balcony" of a five-star hotel. Koltsov, 42, was the head coach of Russian team Salavat Yulaev at the time of his death, leaving behind three children he shares with ex-wife Julija Mikhailova.
Despite admitting her 'heart is broken' following the news, the two-time Grand Slam champion managed to beat Badosa in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3 to progress.
Wet weather in Miami caused a long delay before the match could start. When it did, Sabalenka, who was wearing black and a baseball cap, was welcomed onto the court with warm applause. Before the match started, she looked up to the sky and then gave Badosa - who was also wearing all black - a fist pump.
The match started off slowly with both players making double-faults. However, Sabalenka soon took control and won the first break point of the match. She went on to win the first set when Badosa returned her fierce backhand wide.
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During the second game of set two, a strong gust of wind forced Sabalenka to halt her serve, leading to laughter from both players and the audience. Soon after, 25-year-old Sabalenka was back in control after breaking Badosa's serve again.
Sabalenka broke Badosa's serve once again to secure victory as the good friends shared a heartfelt hug at the net to mark the end of their emotional match.
Sabalenka has confirmed she will not be conducting media interviews, but her opponent paid tribute to the world number two, praising her mentality. "Honestly, both of us are pretty strong mentally. We're strong women. She proved it. I proved it. We knew how to disconnect in that match."
Sabalenka won in straight sets after an emotional encounter with her close friend Badosa (Robert Prange/Getty Images)"She played really well. I played really well for where I'm coming from (following injury). I think it was quite decent."
Badosa added: "That [resilience] all comes from because we know we've been through a lot in our lives, we're strong women, and we know how to separate that in that moment."
Asked about whether Sabalenka's strong performance surprised her, Badosa said: "No, I wasn't surprised at all. As I said, she's a very, very strong woman, strong personality. You can see it on the court. Especially I know her off court. It doesn't surprise me at all.
"I knew she was going to play very well or like normal. I told her I wish her the best. Let's see if she can go very deep in this tournament."
Sabalenka is set for a third-round match with Ukraine's Anhelina Kalinina after her win over Caroline Wozniacki on Thursday.