Aryna Sabalenka demonstrated her supreme inner strength as she returned to the tennis court and played with total focus and drive during a devastating period in her life, defeating her close friend Paula Badosa 6-4, 6-3 to reach the third round of the Miami Open on Friday.
On Monday morning, Sabalenka’s former boyfriend, Konstantin Koltsov, died at the age of 42 in Miami with police describing his death as an “apparent suicide”. Sabalenka released a statement on Wednesday saying her “heart is broken” and asking for privacy for both herself and Koltsov’s family.
