Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk declined to shake the hand of her Belarusian opponent Victoria Azarenka after their second-round match at the US Open.
Kostyuk has been the most vocal critic of the lack of condemnation from Russian and Belarusian players to the invasion of her country.
After Azarenka’s 6-2 6-3 victory, 20-year-old Kostyuk did not offer her hand to her opponent, instead holding out her racket for a cursory tap.
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Kostyuk said: “I just don’t think it’s the right thing to do in the circumstances I’m in right now. I don’t know any single person who condemned the war publicly, and the actions of their government so I don’t feel like I can support this.
“We had a great match, don’t get me wrong. She’s a great competitor, I respect her as an athlete, but that has nothing to do with her being a human being.
“People who didn’t watch the match will probably slam me and tell me, ‘She’s such a b***h, thank God Vika beat her, she talks too much, and it was a fair score’. But it was honestly a super close match.”
Kostyuk had wanted to meet Azarenka on Wednesday to explain she would not shake her hand but the players were not at Flushing Meadows at the same time.
On the lack of handshake, Azarenka said: “I wasn’t surprised. I always shake hands with my opponents. I had the same situation with [Ukrainian Dayana] Yastremska in Washington. I just move on. I cannot force anybody to shake my hand. It’s not the most important thing in the world right now.”
Tennis has been searching for the best way to handle the Ukraine situation. Russian and Belarusian players were banned from Wimbledon and the build-up tournaments but have otherwise been allowed to play under a neutral flag, to the disgust of Kostyuk and other Ukrainian players.
On the eve of the US Open, Kostyuk revealed she had declined to take part in a fundraiser for Ukraine at Flushing Meadows because Azarenka had been due to participate, although she was subsequently excluded from the event.
“My nation is being killed daily,” said Kostyuk. “Imagine there is World War Two and there is a fundraiser for Jewish people and a German player wants to play. During the war, not 70 years after the war. I don’t think Jewish people would understand.”
Azarenka believed her participation would have been a sign of her support for Ukraine, saying: “When you are asking, ‘You’re not doing enough, you’re not saying enough’, I thought that this was a gesture that really shows commitment.
I’m not sure why it wasn’t taken in that way.”
Iga Swiatek laid down a marker with a straight-sets victory over former champion Sloane Stephens in the second round of the US Open.
It looked to be a tricky draw for the world No 1, who has struggled for form since her 37-match unbeaten run ended at Wimbledon.
But she has been untroubled so far at Flushing Meadows and eased to a 6-3 6-2 victory on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
“I’m pretty happy with my focus today. I think I did better than in Cincinnati,” said Swiatek, 21, who will hope to down another American in front of the home crowd when she faces Lauren Davis in the next round.
“Just being on a stadium here downstairs, not there [in the stands], is pretty awesome.”
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Spanish fourth seed Paula Badosa became the latest high-profile casualty in the women’s draw, going down 6-7 (7-5) 6-1 6-2 to Croatia’s Petra Martic.
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