MIAMI – World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka intends to play in the Miami Open this week, organisers said on March 19, following the death of her boyfriend in an apparent suicide.
Belarusian former National Hockey League (NHL) player Konstantin Koltsov died late Monday, police said, after he jumped from the balcony of a room in an upmarket resort in Miami. He was 42.
Two-time Grand Slam winner Sabalenka arrived to practice at the Miami Open venue at Hard Rock Stadium early on March 19 afternoon and later organisers said she had not asked to withdraw and was “intending to play.”
The 25-year-old from Minsk, who won the Australian Open in 2023 and retained her Melbourne title earlier in 2024, is due to face Spain’s Paola Badosa in the second round.
Miami-Dade police spokesman Argemis Colome said in an email that on March 18 at 12:39 am, police “were dispatched to the St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort, in reference to a male that jumped from a balcony.
“The Miami-Dade Police Department, Homicide Bureau, responded and has taken over the investigation of the apparent suicide of Mr. Konstantin Koltsov. No foul play is suspected.”
