2024-03-19 23:29:16
Belarusian player Aryna Sabalenka tragically lost her partner in Miami. But the world number 2 does not intend to withdraw from the Florida tournament, according to the organizers.
Present on Tuesday in training, Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka “intends to play” at the WTA 1000 tournament in Miami (Florida, United States), despite the death of her companion, according to the tournament organizers.
The world No.2, aged 25, and winner of the Australian Open in January, trained on Tuesday afternoon at the tournament site. Organizers said she had not asked to be removed from the draw, and that she “intends to play.”
Former Belarusian professional hockey player Konstantin Koltsov, companion of the champion, died “probably by suicide”, Miami-Dade County police announced earlier in the day. The police were sent the night before to a Miami Beach hotel because “a man had jumped from a balcony,” police spokesperson Argemis Colome said in an email. “No criminal act is suspected” in this investigation, he added.
A match Thursday against Badosa?
Konstantin Koltsov, whose death was announced earlier by the Belarusian ice hockey federation, was 42 years old. During his career, this right winger played more than 140 games in the NHL, the North American ice hockey championship, with the Pittsburgh Penguins team.
The ex-striker, father of three children from a previous union, had played in two Olympic Games with Belarus, in Salt Lake City in 2002 and in Vancouver in 2010, as well as nine editions of the world championships.
His partner Aryna Sabalenka, who frequently trains in Miami and maintains accommodation there, did not immediately make a statement, but showed her willingness to play according to the tournament organizers. “We all heard what happened last night, we saw the news coming this morning, and it’s terrible,” commented American Jessica Pegula (world number 5). “All we can do is offer our support,” she added. “I hope she knows that even though we’re opponents, and we’re all trying to beat each other in this tournament, we’re all kind of family.”
Exempted from the first round like all the top seeds, Sabalenka should face the Spaniard Paula Badosa on Thursday, winner on Tuesday of the former Romanian world No. 1 Simona Halep (1-6, 6-4, 6-3), who made his comeback in Miami since August 2022 after seeing his suspension for doping shortened.
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