MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Aryna Sabalenka overcame personal tragedy to secure a victory at the Miami Open, defeating Paula Badosa 6-4, 6-3 in the rain-interrupted second round. Sabalenka, who recently lost former hockey player Konstantin Koltsov, requested privacy for herself and Koltsov's family following his tragic passing in Miami on Monday, which authorities have deemed an apparent suicide with no foul play suspected.
The 25-year-old Belarusian, ranked second in the world, had a strong start to the tournament after receiving a first-round bye as one of the 32 seeded players. However, rain delays lasting six hours disrupted the day's schedule, with further rain forcing the cancellation of the remaining matches in the evening, compounded by challenging wind conditions.
Among the completed matches, U.S. Open champion Coco Gauff advanced to the third round with a dominant 6-1, 6-2 victory over Nadia Podoroska, maintaining her No. 3 ranking. Elena Rybakina fought back to defeat her opponent 3-6, 7-5, 6-4, while Emma Navarro and Ekaterina Alexandrova also secured wins over their respective opponents.
In the men's competition, third-ranked Jannik Sinner was leading Andrea Vavassori 3-2 before their all-Italian match was suspended for the day. Tomas Machac caused an upset by beating sixth-ranked Andrey Rublev 6-4, 6-4, and Ugo Humbert emerged victorious with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Botic Van de Zandschulp.
The Miami Open continues to showcase thrilling matches and competitive performances, with players demonstrating resilience and skill despite challenging weather conditions. For more tennis updates, visit the AP tennis hub at https://apnews.com/hub/tennis.
