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Ex-NHL player Konstantin Koltsov, boyfriend of tennis star Aryna Sabalenka, dies at 42

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Konstantin Koltsov of Belarus celebrates against Switzerland at the IIHF World Ice Hockey Championship preliminary round in Quebec City on 5 May 2008. (Photo by Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images)
Konstantin Koltsov of Belarus celebrates against Switzerland at the IIHF World Ice Hockey Championship preliminary round in Quebec City on 5 May 2008. (Photo by Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images)

Konstantin Koltsov, the boyfriend of two-time tennis Grand Slam champion Aryna Sabalenka and a former ice hockey player, has died aged 42, the Belarusian hockey federation said on Tuesday.

In a short statement, the federation said that Koltsov "died suddenly", without saying how or where he died.

"We are in mourning," the federation said on its website.

"The Belarusian Hockey Federation expresses its deepest condolences to the family, friends, and everyone who knew and worked with Konstantin."

Koltsov's playing career included a stint with the Pittsburgh Penguins in the NHL.

Aryna Sabalenka
Aryna Sabalenka wins the 2024 Australian Open. (Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

There was no immediate reaction from the 25-year-old Sabalenka, the world number two, who is scheduled to play at the Miami Open this week.

The Belarusian won the Australian Open in 2023 and retained her Melbourne title earlier this year.

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