One day later than expected, to give room for the emotional recovery of Aryna Sabalenka, who appeared at the WTA 1,000 in Miami days after the alleged suicide of her ex-boyfriend became known, the 25-year-old Belarusian will meet this Friday in the second round of the American event with the 26-year-old Spaniard Paula Badosa.
Almost a fratricidal duel, since they are close friends. That is why Badosa has worked hard in previous days to protect the privacy of the world number two in the face of questions from the press and speculation about the event, which for now has not been clarified. “For me, what she is experiencing is also very shocking, because she is my best friend and I don’t want her to suffer. It is a very tough situation and, at the same time, playing against it is very uncomfortable. I don’t want to talk about it anymore because I told him I wouldn’t. She is my best friend and I promised her that. We leave it here. “I’m sorry,” is all Paula wanted to contribute on Tuesday after submitting the Romanian Simona Halep in the first round.
“Konstantin’s death is an unimaginable tragedy, and even though we were no longer together, my heart is broken. Please respect my privacy and that of his family during these complicated times,” Sabalenka asked for her, breaking her silence about the tragedy on Wednesday.
Touchstone
Leaving aside the drama, which as it could not be otherwise will strain the match, sportingly it is an important day for Badosa, who offered good feelings against Halep and can consolidate a change of third after a 2023 complicated by injuries and an irregular beginning of 2024 (the reason why he is now ranked 80th in the world ranking), in which his ceiling is the two victories achieved at the Australian Open (in Hua Hin and Doha he fell in the second round and in Dubai in his premiere).
A mark that he can match today in what would be killing three birds with one stone, because he would also break the tie with his opponent (2-2 now in four games) and get rid of his side’s main threat. of the painting. In addition, it would equal her second best performance, that of last year, in which she lost in the third round against the Kazakh Rybakina, in a tournament that traditionally has not smiled on her: she has fallen in two editions in the first round and her limit has been the quarterfinals. final reached in 2022. But that is now in the past, and this Badosa sent Halep the message that she is looking to the future. One that she, she already demonstrated on her day, can be brilliant.
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2024-03-22 02:06:42
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