WATCH: Aryna Sabalenka smashes racket after second round defeat in Miami Open

Aryna Sabalenka suffered defeat in her second match at the Miami Open against Ukraine’s Anhelina Kalinina and subsequently vented her frustration by smashing her racket three times.

Kalinina, ranked at No 32 in the tournament, is the final seeded player, demonstrating her capability. However, it would have been unexpected for her to defeat Sabalenka, the world No 2 and recent Australian Open champion, especially on Sabalenka’s preferred surface of hard courts.

These circumstances, though, are far from ordinary. Sabalenka has endured a particularly challenging week in her personal life following the tragic death of her ex-boyfriend, Konstantin Koltsov, who fell from the balcony of a luxury Miami resort last Sunday night. Miami-Dade Police have described the incident as an "apparent suicide".

Sabalenka later released a statement saying “Konstantin’s death is an unthinkable tragedy, and while we were no longer together, my is heart is broken.” She has worn black clothing on court in both her matches in Miami, and has cancelled all her press conferences.

There was no handshake after Kalinina’s 6-4, 1-6, 6-1 victory, but that is customary when players from Ukraine compete against those from Russia or Belarus. This should not be interpreted as evidence of Sabalenka’s mental state, despite her forceful triple racket-smash – occurring immediately after her final return slid wide – indicating her clear frustration with the outcome.

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“It’s always tough to play on big stages against these top players,” said Kalinina, who has now defeated two former world No1s in back-to-back matches after her first-round win over Carolina Wozniacki. “Today was really tough with nerves but I managed in the tough moments to deal with it.”

Sabalenka had won her opening match against Paula Badosa, her best friend by a 6-4, 6-3 scoreline. “We’ve been through a lot in our lives,” Badosa said after that contest, “and we’re strong women and we knew how to separate that [professional tennis] in that moment.”

Sabalenka is now likely to have a little time away from the game, which may be a mercy. Even before the Koltsov tragedy occurred, she had not been expected to play her next tournament until the Porsche Open in Stuttgart in three weeks.