A tragic and emotional week for two-time Australian Open tennis champion Aryna Sabalenka has come to an end with a third-round loss to Anhelina Kalinina at the Miami Open — just days after her ex-boyfriend reportedly took his own life.
Former Belarusian national ice hockey player Konstantin Koltsov passed away on Monday morning in what the Miami-Dade Police Department described as an “apparent suicide”.
Sabalenka and Koltsov dated for about three years but had recently broken up before the 42-year-old’s death.
Newsletters: Our top sports news direct to your inbox. Subscribe now
And after a gutsy second-round win on Friday over best friend Paula Badosa, the world No.2 appeared to have little left in the tank physically, mentally or emotionally for a late night Saturday stadium court battle with Ukrainian Kalinina.
When her return wide gave Kalinina the 6-4, 1-6, 6-1 result, the 25-year-old Belarusian bowed her head, took a few steps then flew into a rage, venting her frustration by smashing her racquet to pieces at centre court.
With racquet destroyed, she then turned and walked off court without shaking the Ukrainian’s hand.
“It’s always tough to play on big stages against these top players,” Kalinina said. “Today was really tough with nerves but I managed in the tough moments to deal with it. So, I’m a little bit proud of myself today.”
The result and outburst are hardly a surprise, coming at the end of a pressure-packed week for Sabalenka.
Sabalenka issued a brief statement on Wednesday saying her “heart was broken” by the “unthinkable tragedy” but has otherwise remained out of the spotlight, having refused to speak to media last week.
The statement was also the first mention since the tragedy that the couple had split.
The Miami-Dade police department confirmed on Tuesday officers had responded to a call the day before at a Miami resort. The police said no foul play was suspected.
Koltsov, 42, played for the Belarus national team at the 2002 and 2010 Olympics and spent parts of three seasons with the National Hockey League’s Pittsburgh Penguins between 2003 and 2006.
The news of Koltsov’s death sent shockwaves through the Miami Open as Sabalenka’s fellow players rallied around her, including her opponent Badosa.
Sabalenka was very much in control of her emotions and slowly found her form in a 6-4, 6-3 win over Badosa but slowly unravelled against Kalinina and could not regain her composure.
Her usually reliable forehand never consistently hit the mark while managing six double faults against just three aces.
“I missed a lot of opportunities, she started to play more aggressive in the second set,” Kalinina said. “I think she played really, like, she stepped in and did some incredible, like, very fast rallies.
“But third set, yes, I was also more aggressive. That was my goal.”
Kalinina will play Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan in the round of 16 after the Kazakh’s 6-2 2-6 6-4 win over Belgium’s Greet Minnen.
– With AAP