Paula Badosa spoiled Simona Halep’s return from a doping ban, fighting back to claim a gritty 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 win on Tuesday to move into the second round of the Miami Open and set up what is sure to be an emotion-packed match with Aryna Sabalenka.
Halep had been the player in the spotlight coming into Miami accepting a wild card when her four-year suspension was cut to nine months by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
But the focus quickly shifted to Sabalenka after the world number two’s long-time boyfriend, Belarusian former pro ice hockey player Konstantin Koltsov, died in what police said on Tuesday was an “apparent suicide”.