World No.2 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.

The 25-year-old Belarusian had received a first-round bye. The match was delayed by more than six hours as rains swept across South Florida. Sabalenka had issued a brief statement on Wednesday, saying her heart was broken by the “unthinkable tragedy”.

The news of Koltsov’s death sent a shockwave through the Miami Open as Sabalenka’s fellow players rallied around her, including her opponent Badosa.

“It wasn’t very comfortable to play my best friend in this situation,” Badosa said. “Honestly both of us are pretty strong mentally... I proved it, she proved it.” The two players, both dressed in black, stepped onto Grandstand court after the rain stopped.

Third seed Coco Gauff sped into the third round with 6-1, 6-2 victory over Argentine qualifier Nadia Podoroska.

On the men’s side, Czech Tomas Machac upset fifth seed Andrey Rublev 6-4, 6-4.