Geopolitical tensions simmered at the US Open, as Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk refused the customary handshake at the net when Belarusian Victoria Azarenka defeated her 6-2 6-3 in the second round.
The pair exchanged a quick tap of the racket on Court 17 after Kostyuk whacked the ball into the net on the third match point and the three-time Flushing Meadows finalist let out a triumphant roar.
"Well, I wasn't surprised. I don't believe that making a big deal out of it is important. I always shake hands with my opponents," said Azarenka, who added that Ukrainian Dayana Yastremska had done the same in Washington last month.
"I cannot force anybody to shake my hand. It's their decision. How did it make me feel? It's not the most important thing in the world right now."
It marked the latest uneasy moment at the year's final major, where Russians, Belarusians and Ukrainians compete alongside one another against the backdrop of military conflict.
Belarus is being used as a key staging ground for Russia's war in Ukraine, which Moscow terms a "special operation."
Ukraine and the West accuse Russia of waging an unprovoked imperial-style war of aggression.
Kostyuk has repeatedly called for the WTA to ban Russian athletes from the Tour and told the Times last month that the invasion made Russian players on the tour into "enemies in a matter of minutes," detailing how her family huddled in Kyiv amid assaults on the capital.
Days before their second-round meeting, it was the 20-year-old Kostyuk's objections that helped prompt Azarenka to pull out of the tournament's "Tennis Plays for Peace Exhibition" to raise humanitarian aid for Ukraine.
Azarenka said she was asked by the USTA to participate in the event and said at the time it was "a no-brainer" to accept.
"I thought that this was a gesture that really shows commitment. I'm not sure why it wasn't taken that way. I don't want to judge that, that's what happened," she told reporters.
"I can't force it. I'm not going to go and say, 'Oh, how dare you?' It's not my place. My place is to be there to offer, offer my help, and that's it."
Reuters.
