SVITOLINA SERVES SABALENKA SNUB

Ukrainian loses, refuses to shake hands, blames Belarusian for inflaming’ tensions

PARIS Elina Svitolina has accused Aryna Sabalenka of deliberately inflaming” the tense stand-off between Ukraine and Belarus players at the French Open on Tuesday by staring her down at the net.

Sabalenka won their quarter-final 6-4, 6-4 and then approached the net in expectation of a handshake which Svitolina had already insisted beforehand that she was not going to offer.

All Ukraine players have refused to shake hands with Russian and Belarusian rivals in protest at the ongoing war.

Svitolina was as good as her word, ignoring the world No. 2, who was leaning on the net, and calmly walked back to her chair. She was, however, booed by the Court Philippe Chatrier crowd.

When asked if Sabalenka had inflamed the situation by standing at the net, she replied: Yeah, I think so, unfortunately.”

“I don’t know why she was waiting because my statements were clear enough about the handshake,” added Svitolina, 28, who said she was not shocked by being jeered by a Paris crowd who had taken her to their hearts following her marriage to French player Gael Monfils.

“I was expecting that. Whoever in this situation loses, I guess, gets booed, so I was expecting that. It was not a surprise.”