Drama surrounding ex-boyfriend
Sabalenka wins first match after Koltsov’s death
Tennis player Aryna Sabalenka has won her first match at the Masters tournament in Miami since the death of her former boyfriend Konstantin Koltsov. The Australian Open winner from Belarus beat her Spanish friend Paula Badosa 6:4, 6:3 in the second round on Friday (local time). Sabalenka will now face Anhelina Kalinina from Ukraine.
Before the start of the tournament, she had reacted with great sadness to the death of the former ice hockey professional. "Konstantin's death is an unimaginable tragedy, and although we were no longer together, my heart is broken," the Belarusian explained in a statement.
The 25-year-old also asked that her privacy and that of her family be respected "during this difficult time". Koltsov, a former NHL player, died on Monday at the age of 42, according to media reports.
The game between Sabalenka and Badosa was only one of eight matches that could take place on Friday. The reason for this was heavy rainfall. The third seeded American Coco Gauff didn't seem to mind. The 20-year-old beat the Argentinian qualifier Nadia Podoroska 6:1, 6:2 in just 1:16 hours and will now face Oceane Dodin from France in the third round.
Rublev surprisingly eliminated
There was a surprise in the men's singles. Andrei Rublev, ranked fifth in the world, lost 4:6, 5:7 to Tomas Machac from the Czech Republic in the second round. It was the 23-year-old outsider's first win against a player in the top ten of the world rankings.
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