Halep falls to Bedosa in return from doping ban as Sabalenka waits

MIAMI : 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 after 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".

While Halep was getting ready to face Badosa, posts on social media showed Sabalenka, who has a first round bye, at work under a hot sun on a Hard Rock Stadium practice court, with the Belarusian scheduled to be on centre court on Thursday or Friday.

Playing her first match since a first round loss at the 2022 U.S. Open, Halep displayed few signs of rust against the 80th ranked Spaniard in a rampaging opening set that saw her break a misfiring Badosa three times as a small but excited crowd chanted "Si-Mon-ah. Si-Mon-Ah".

The 32-year-old Romanian spark plug showed she can still make all the shots and had lost none of her trademark terrier like determination running down ball after ball.

But 18 months away from competition was always going to exact a toll.

In the second set it was Badosa taking the initiative as Halep began to show the first signs of fatigue and needed her shoulder massaged at a changeover while the Spaniard held steady to level the match.

The third set turned into a dog fight with Badosa again getting the early break to go ahead 2-1 only to have a battling Halep immediately