Coco Gauff

Aryna Sabalenka, the world number two tennis player, won against Paula Badosa with scores of 6-4, 6-3 at the Miami Open, advancing to the third round. This match occurred shortly after the death of Sabalenka’s former boyfriend, Konstantin Koltsov. The match’s start was delayed by over six hours due to heavy rain in South Florida. Sabalenka, who is 25 years old and from Belarus, had received a bye in the first round. Despite the emotional and weather-related challenges, she performed well against Badosa, who acknowledged Sabalenka’s strength and wished her well in the tournament. Sabalenka had issued a statement expressing her heartbreak over Koltsov’s death, who was confirmed to have died after jumping off a balcony at a Miami resort, with no foul play suspected according to the Miami-Dade police department. Koltsov was a former professional hockey player who participated in the 2002 and 2010 Olympics and played for the Pittsburgh Penguins in the NHL. Sabalenka’s next opponent in the tournament is Ukraine’s Anhelina Kalinina. Additionally, on the men’s side of the Miami Open, Czech player Tomas Machac defeated the fifth seed Andrey Rublev, while American Coco Gauff won against Argentine qualifier Nadia Podoroska in the women’s category.