- Paulo Badosa praised her close friend Aryna Sabalenka.
- Sabalenka returned to the court strongly and won.
- Sabalenka is now set to compete against Anhelina Kalinina.
Sabalenka defeated Badosa 6-4, 6-3 with ease and advanced to the third round of the Miami Open, just four days after the passing of her boyfriend Konstantin Koltsov.
Despite experiencing a personal loss just four days prior, Sabalenka returned to the court strongly and won against her best friend in an emotionally charged match.
Badosa was not entirely surprised by Sabalenka’s mental resilience, as the Spaniard knew that the Belarusian is mentally very tough.
“I knew she was going to play very well and I told her I wish her the best and let’s see if she can go very deep in this tournament,” said the Spaniard.
Badosa further expressed that it was not easy for her to compete against her best friend in a match so soon after she had experienced a personal tragedy.
“It wasn’t very comfortable to play my best friend in this situation… honestly both of us are pretty strong mentally, we’re strong women, I proved it, she proved it,” she added.
Sabalenka is now set to compete against Ukraine’s Anhelina Kalinina in the third round.
Remember, Koltsov, a former hockey player who played for the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins, died by “an apparent suicide” as stated by the Miami-Dade Police Department, with no suspicion of foul play so far.
Sabalenka and Koltsov had been in a relationship for three years after first connecting in 2021. They frequently shared pictures together on social media. His death occurred five years after the passing of Sabalenka’s father, Sergey Sabalenka.
Koltsov had always been a significant support for Sabalenka, often accompanying her to tournaments.
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