Ex-tennis star bursts collar at French Open

At the French Open, there was a scandal after the match between Aryna Sabalenka and Elina Svitolina. The Ukrainian woman refused to shake hands.

Paris – The fact that the sport can be quite political was shown at the French Open. In the quarterfinals, Ukraine's Elina Svitolina met Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka. After the match, there was a scene that caused a lot of excitement, especially for former tennis pro Alex Dolgopolov.

Svitolina succumbs to Sabalenka and refuses to shake hands

World number two Sabalenka defeated her opponent from Ukraine in straight sets. After the victory, the Belarusian awaited the beaten Svitolina at the net. However, she waited in vain.

Svitolina had emphasized several times in the past that she would refuse to shake hands with opponents from Russia and Belarus after the game. The background to this is the Russian war of aggression on Ukraine. "I honestly don't know what she was expecting – what she was waiting for, because my statements about the handshake were pretty clear," she shook her head.

Alex Dolgopolov criticizes Aryna Sabalenka after the quarterfinals. © IMAGO / Paul Zimmer; IMAGO / USA TODAY Network

Ex-tennis star bursts collar at French Open

Svitolina's compatriot, former tennis star Alex Dolgopolov, jumped to his colleague's side. "That was as disgusting as it gets!" the 34-year-old commented on Sabalenka's behavior. Until recently, she was considered a reference figure for Lukashenko, but distanced herself from the ruler Belarus before the match. Via Twitter, he did not mince his words.

"While Russia is blowing up a dam with the help of her friend, a mini-dictator, the 'uncertain-on-press-conferences-no-comment-dramaqueen' is deliberately on the net and making fun of everything Ukraine is going through," the angry Ukrainian rumbled. His indignation at the behavior of the Belarusian woman quickly turned into anger.

On Sunday, Sabalenka will be competing for a place in the final

Just eight months after the birth of her first daughter, Svitolina made it to the quarterfinals at the French Open. With this background and her performances, the 28-year-old played herself into the hearts of the French audience.

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Nevertheless, she had to admit defeat against the strong Sabalenka and thus missed the entry into the semifinals. On Thursday, the Belarusian will be in the semifinals of the tournament and will fight Karolina Muchova for a place in the final.