Aryna Sabalenka, number two in the tennis world, was actually supposed to play at the WTA event in Miami this week. But whether that will be the case is more than doubtful. The two-time Australian Open winner is in deep mourning. The 25-year-old’s partner, Konstantin Koltsov, died on Monday in Florida, this was confirmed by the former ice hockey professional’s employer, Salafat Yulaev Ufa (KHL), where the 42-year-old was an assistant coach. There was initially no information regarding the circumstances of death.
Koltsov, who played 144 NHL matches between 2002 and 2006 for the Pittsburgh Penguins and took part in the 2002 Winter Olympics for Belarus, had been at Sabalenka’s side for around three years. It is not the first stroke of fate for the top player from Minsk, who won the Upper Austria Ladies in Linz in 2020. Her father Sergej, who was also a professional ice hockey player, died in November 2019.
Author
Alexander Zambarloukos
Sports editor
Alexander Zambarloukos
