World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka returned to court for the first time since the death of her ex-boyfriend earlier this week, beating Spain’s Paola Ba 6-4 6-3 on Friday. Paula Badosa controlled her emotions during the game. After a six-hour rain delay, Sabalenka took to the court in all black, with her close friend Badosa opting for the same option. Two-time Australian Open champion Sabalenka said in a statement on Wednesday that she was “heartbroken” by the death of her ex-boyfriend Konstantin Koltsov, revealing they were not a couple at the time of his death.
Koltsov died on Monday in what Miami police said was an “apparent suicide” after he jumped from the balcony of his resort room.
The former NHL hockey player and coach is 42 years old.
Sabalenka got off to a slow start but took a 4-3 lead in the first set and never looked back.
The Belarusian then broke serve in the third game of the second set with a brilliant cross-court forehand winner and showed her Spanish opponent a lot of power, sealing the victory in one hour and 22 minutes.
The two players embraced in front of the net before leaving the court without giving an on-court interview. Sabalenka asked the WTA to exempt media from the event.
Badosa said she wasn’t surprised Sabalenka was able to stay focused and perform well.
“She’s a very, very strong woman with a strong character. You can see that on the court… I know her off the court, so it doesn’t surprise me at all,” she said.
“I knew she would play well or as usual. I told her I wish her all the best and let’s see if she can go far in this tournament,” the Spaniard added.
Badosa said before the match that she expected to be “uncomfortable” against Sabalenka given her friendship with the Belarusian.
mental strength
But she said their professionalism and mental strength have come through.
“Honestly, both of us are mentally very strong. We’re both strong women and she’s proven that and I’ve proven that,” she said.
“We knew how to disconnect during the two hours of the game. She played really well and I played really well considering where I came from (injury),” she added.
“It all comes from knowing that we’ve been through a lot in life and that we’re strong women. We know how to separate (things) in that moment,” she said.
Third-seeded American Coco Gauff had a mediocre performance against Argentinian Nadia Podoroska, winning 6-1 6-2 in 16 hours.
In the ATP event, the 60th-ranked Czech player Tomas Machac emerged after a long delay and defeated the fifth-seeded Russian player Andrei Rublev 6-4, 6-4. Andrey Rublev, becoming his first top ten victim.
Rain returned later in the evening and play was suspended for the day.
Men’s world No. 3 Italian and defending Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner defeated compatriot Andrea Vavassori 3-2 in the rain as the match continues on Saturday .
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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