Tennis-Stoic Sabalenka makes winning start to Miami Open

Mar 13, 2024; Indian Wells, CA, USA; Aryna Sabalenka (RUS) hits a shot as she was defeated in the fourth round by Emma Navarro (USA) in the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports/File Photo

MIAMI (Reuters) -World number two Aryna Sabalenka made a stoic return to the court on Friday as she eased past Paula Badosa 6-4 6-3 to reach the third round of the Miami Open just days after the death of her former boyfriend Konstantin Koltsov.

What was a long and difficult week for the 25-year-old Belarusian, who had received a first round bye, was made a little bit longer as heavy rains swept across South Florida. It delayed the start of play by just over six hours.