Marta Kostyuk didn't wait. As soon as the match ball was won by Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, the Ukrainian player sped straight to the chair to greet the referee before repacking her belongings. No handshake with her rival, as she had announced before the 1st round at Roland-Garros.
A native of Kiev, Kostyuk considers the tennis authorities too accommodating to Russian and Belarusian players in the measures taken in response to the invasion of his country by Moscow's troops in February 2022. She had already chosen not to greet another Belarusian, Victoria Azarenka, preferring to touch her opponent's racket with her own at the last US Open.
Kostyuk booed by Central audience
This time she decided not to greet Sabalenka at all, drawing boos from the audience at the time, and then walking off the court. The Belarusian then thought at first that she was the target of the public, making an ironic bow in front of the stands.
"Excuse me, I thought at first the bronca was for me," she later explained during the post-match interview on court. "I was a little surprised, but then I felt your support. So thank you very much, it's very important. It was a very tough match emotionally."
"It doesn't matter if she hates me," Sabalenka said before the meeting, when asked about it. "Regarding the lack of a handshake, I can understand that," she added.
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