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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 12: Victoria Azarenka of Belarus reacts in the third set during her Women’s Singles final match against Naomi Osaka of Japan on Day Thirteen of the 2020 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 12, 2020 in the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 12: Victoria Azarenka of Belarus reacts in the third set during her Women’s Singles final match against Naomi Osaka of Japan on Day Thirteen of the 2020 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 12, 2020 in the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
Victoria Azarenka has begun her US Open 2022 campaign on a positive note. Recently, she defeated Ukrainian star, Marta Kostyuk in straight sets in the second round. However, after the match, a particular incident occurred that caught everyone’s eye.
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Kostyuk refused to shake hands with Azarenka post-match. The former has strongly voiced against the players who have not spoken publicly about the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. After the match, Kostyuk explained her decision not to shake hands with Azarenka.
Marta Kostyuk on refusing to shake hands with Victoria Azarenka
During the post-match interview, Ukrainian star Kostyuk talked about not shaking hands with her Belarusian opponent. She said, “I genuinely wanted to warn her that I’m not gonna shake her hand, because she never came up to me, at least personally, and didn’t tell me her opinion, and what she thinks so… it didn’t happen.”
USA Today via Reuters
Mar 14, 2022; Indian Wells, CA, USA; Victoria Azarenka (BEL) is over come with emotion as she leans her head on her racket during the middle of the second set of her third round match against Elena Rybakina (not pictured) during the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Further, she added, “So I don’t think I’ll go up to her and try to have a conversation.”
Marta Kostyuk says:
– Shaking Victoria Azarenka's hand would not have been "the right thing" to do
– Players with big platforms should use them to say that "they don’t support the murders, the rapes, the genocide that is happening"#USOpenhttps://t.co/0qOGx6T90N
— James Gray (@jamesgraysport) September 1, 2022
Over the last few months, Azarenka has been on the receiving end of the consequences due to the conflict. She was barred from participating in the Wimbledon Championships, as Russian and Belarusian players were banned by the organizing committee of the tournament. Further, before the US Open, she was disallowed from playing at an exhibition event after some players raised objections to her participation.
READ MORE: Victoria Azarenka Axed From US Open 2022 Exhibition Event Despite Her Willingness to Play
Who will Azarenka face next at the US Open?
After a comprehensive win over Marta Kostyuk, Azarenka will take on Petra Martic of Croatia in the third round of the tournament. The latter had earlier created a huge upset by knocking out the fourth seed, Paula Badosa of Spain.
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The two have met only once before, with Azarenka coming out on top in straight sets. However, Martic will be keen to continue her giant-killing run in the tournament. It’ll be interesting to see who comes out on top in this mouth-watering battle.
Written by
Edited by
Tony Thomas