Subdued Aryna Sabalenka sweeps past good friend Paula Badosa in Miami second round
The No. 2 seed needed just under an hour and a half to defeat the Spaniard in a loaded encounter on Grandstand, and move into the third round where Anhelina Kalinina awaits.
MIAMI, Fla.—On any other day, the news of world No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka defeating the No. 80-ranked player in the world would barely cause a blip in the world of tennis news. But on Friday afternoon at the Miami Open presented by Itau, the sight of Sabalenka celebrating a second-round victory—however subdued—felt like a triumph all on its own.
Initially scheduled first up at 11:00 a.m., Sabalenka took the court on Grandstand after over six hours of rain delay—and after four days of concern and speculation surrounding the “unthinkable tragedy” in the death of ex-boyfriend Konstanin Koltsov on the eve of the tournament.
Sabalenka showed incredible poise and resilience, as well as her usual brand of big-hitting tennis, as she fired three aces and saved the only break point she faced against Paula Badosa en route to a 6-4, 6-3 victory.
“Both of us are pretty strong mentally. We're strong women. She proved it. I proved it. We knew how to disconnect in that one and a half hours of a match,” Badosa said in her post-match press conference. “She played really well. I played really well for where I'm coming from. I think it was quite decent.
“That all comes from because we know we've been through a lot in our lives. We're strong women, and we know how to separate that in that moment.”
WATCH: Aryna Sabalenka embraced by tour bestie Paula Badosa after round two win | MATCH POINT
It felt fitting that, during one of the toughest moments of her career, Sabalenka would be sharing the court with her best friend and “tour soulmate” Badosa in their fifth career meeting.
Both players appeared somber, with Sabalenka walking on court and waving at the crowd with her head bowed, face concealed by a black cap—instead of her signature Nike headband—and dressed in all black instead of her usual “Barbie”-inspired pink kit.
But the pair broke the tension right away when they met at the net for the coin toss, giggling when umpire Marija Cicak pointed out they were both wearing matching all-black outfits (completely by coincidence, according to Badosa, who wore the same dress in her win against Simona Halep) as they shared a quick fist bump.
After that, it was all business. Sabalenka, the current world No. 2, was up against a former world No. 2 in Badosa, who is currently ranked No. 80 amid a struggle with lingering low back injury. But the gulf in ranking between them barely seemed to be a factor, as Badosa and Sabalenka went toe to toe for most of each set.
The two-time Australian Open winner broke serve once in the opening set and twice in the second to seal the victory in an hour and 24 minutes. Badosa greeted her opponent at the net with a hug and a smile, and the pair walked shoulder to shoulder as Sabalenka advanced to the third round.
“I wasn't surprised at all (by Sabalenka’s level),” Badosa said. “She's a very, very strong woman, strong personality. You can see it on the court. Especially I know her off court so it doesn't surprise me at all.
“I knew she was going to play very well or like normal. I told her I wish her the best. Let's see if she can go very deep in this tournament.”
Sabalenka and Badosa’s match, originally scheduled for Thursday, was moved back a day at the tournament’s discretion. The rest of the bottom half of the draw played yesterday, with No. 32 seed Anhelina Kalinina awaiting the winner after toppling Caroline Wozniacki.