Welcome to our live blog of today’s Miami Open round-of-64 match between Aryna Sabalenka and Paula Badosa.
The contest is likely to be an emotional affair, being the first match since Sabalenka’s ex-boyfriend, the ice hockey player Konstantin Koltsov, plunged to his death in an apparent suicide from a hotel balcony near Miami Beach.
Sabalenka, the World No 2, said her heart was broken by the “unthinkable tragedy” but the 25-year-old Belarusian managed to continue preparing for today’s match, taking to the practice courts in Miami this week.
The two-time Australian Open champion posted on Instagram: “Konstantin’s death is an unthinkable tragedy, and while we were no longer together, my heart is broken. Please respect my privacy and his family’s privacy during this difficult time.”
Police referred to Koltsov’s death as “an apparent suicide” saying they had been called to the hotel at 12.39am on Monday “in reference to a male that jumped from a balcony”.
However, Koltsov’s ex-wife Julija Mikhailova said in an interview in Belarus that she was not convinced her former partner’s death was suicide.
“Most likely he was very drunk. Unfortunately, hockey players are sometimes guilty of this,” said Mikhailova, the mother of Koltsov’s three children.
Koltsov, who was 42, played for the Belarus national team in the 2002 and 2010 Olympics and spent parts of three seasons with the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins between 2002 and 2006.
The fresh tragedy follows the death of Sabalenka’s father Sergey, in 2019, after the former ice-hockey player contracted meningitis aged 43.
As if it needed it, today’s match is given an extra emotional layer as Sabalenka and Badosa are close friends.
Spain’s Badosa, the world No 80, said she has been in touch with Sabalenka this week. “I know what she’s going through. I know the entire situation,” Badosa said. “That for me is a little bit shocking also to go through that because at the end she’s my best friend and I don’t want her to suffer. It’s a very tough situation.”