Warning: Elina Svitolina and Victoria Azarenka to forgo handshake at DC Open due to Russia-Ukraine conflict
The DC Open Witnessed a Puzzling Encounter Between Svitolina and Azarenka
Spectators at the recently held DC Open were taken aback by an intriguing development involving Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina and Belarusian Victoria Azarenka. The tension between these two players stemmed from previous instances where Svitolina had declined to shake hands with opponents from Russia or Belarus, in light of the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
During their encounter at Wimbledon earlier this year, when Svitolina defeated Azarenka, the crowd expressed their disapproval through boos directed towards the Belarusian player. In order to prevent a similar incident from occurring again, tournament organizers took precautionary measures.
A message was displayed on the scoreboard during Svitolina’s first-round triumph over Azarenka in Washington DC. This message aimed to inform spectators that she would refrain from shaking hands with her opponent.
“It’s really about doing what feels right,” stated world number 27, Elina Svitolina. She sought support for her decision from the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), who ultimately respected her request.
Azarenka, a two-time Australian Open champion who played on her 34th birthday during this match-up against Svitolina, questioned whether this issue deserved substantial attention. According to her perspective: “We just move on. We play a tennis match.” She further emphasized that she accepted and respected someone else’s position regarding such matters.
Tennis Battle Unfolds Between Svitolina and Azarenka
The match itself was filled with twists and turns. Both players struggled to hold their serves in the first set, which eventually led to a tie-break. In this closely contested set, it was Svitolina who emerged victorious.
After the conclusion of the first set, the message regarding Svitolina’s refusal to shake hands with Azarenka was displayed on the scoreboard. The second set witnessed just one successful service hold as Svitolina outperformed her opponent and secured a well-deserved victory over world number 19.