Paulo Badosa lauded her best friend Aryna Sabalenka after an emotional encounter between the two in the ongoing 2024 Miami Open on Friday.
Sabalenka comfortably defeated Badosa 6-4, 6-3 and cruised to the third round of the Miami Open, just four days after the death of her boyfriend Konstantin Koltsov.
Despite suffering a heartbreak just four days ago, Sabalenka made a strong return to the court and defeated her best friend in an emotional match.
Badosa was not quite surprised by Sabalenka’s mental strength as the Spaniard was aware that the Belarusian is very strong mentally.
“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,” the Spaniard said.
Badosa then added that she was not very comfortable facing her best friend in a match just days after she had suffered a heartbreak.
“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 will now face Ukraine’s Anhelina Kalinina in the third round.
Remember, Koltsov, a former hockey player who played for NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins, died by “an apparent suicide” as called by the Miami-Dade Police Department as no foul play has been suspected so far.
Sabalenka and Koltsov had been dating for three years after linking up with one another for the first time in 2021. The two often used to post pictures together on social media. His death came five years after the death of the Belarusian’s father, Sergey Sabalenka.
Koltsov had always been a big support for Sabalenka as he used to travel regularly with her girlfriend to support her during the tournaments.
