Marta Kostyuk was dramatically booed off the Roland Garros pitch after declining Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka’s handshake request.
Second seed Sabalenka beat her opponent 6-3, 6-2 in a convincing performance of just over an hour and then offered her hand to the Ukrainian, but kept waiting.
The pair played earlier and the same post-match result occurred, with Kostyuk refusing to talk to Sabalenka due to Belarus’ support for Russia in the offensive war against Ukraine. Fifty-four drones attacked Kiev on Saturday evening.
Kostyuk was by far the fans’ favorite during the match, with the Parisian crowd cheering for the points won by the 20-year-old world number 39, but that soon changed when they took offense at her lack of sportsmanship – despite the invasion of Russia and Belarus in her homeland.
Sabalenka originally thought the jeers were for her and bowed sarcastically to the crowd at Court Philippe Chatrier.
Ukrainian player Marta Kostyuk shakes hands with the umpire but refuses to acknowledge her opponent from Belarus Aryna Sabalenka (right)
As expected, Kostyuk ignored Sabalenka after the match over Belarusian support for Russia’s war in her home country of Ukraine
Sabalenka defeated Kostyuk in straight sets on the opening day of the French Open in Paris
The Belarusian, whose powerful play was too much for her opponent, said: “It was a very tough game, I mean emotionally tough.
“I’m sorry guys, I didn’t understand at first, I thought this was jeering at me, so I was a little surprised. But then I felt your support, so thank you very much.’
The Australian Open champion added: “Actually, I thought my first Grand Slam would be the French Open. I have no idea why, because I couldn’t play on clay.’
In January, at the Australian Open, Kostyuk made it clear that she would reject any competitors from Russia or Belarus who had not spoken out against the war in Ukraine.
She had refused to shake hands with former world No. 1 Victoria Azarenka after she lost to the Belarusian at the US Open.
“I haven’t changed about the war and everything that’s going on, touring,” she said. ‘Cause people who just say they don’t want war, that’s what makes us [Ukraine] sounds like we want war.
“Of course we don’t want war either.”
She added: “Whoever speaks out clearly, I think, has every right to be on tour, but whoever doesn’t… I don’t think it’s humane.”
In April this year, Kostyuk claimed that “no more than” five players from Russia and Belarus had privately voiced their opposition to Vladimir Putin’s occupation of Ukraine.
Sabalenka made a sarcastic bow to Philippe Chatrier’s audience because she thought they were jeering at her instead of Kostyuk
There was a black ice at the changeovers during the opening round match
“Out of about 50, one, two, three, four, five – no more,” she said in an interview with the Ukrainian publication Tribuna.
“They have admitted that their country is doing something truly despicable and they want the war to end with Ukraine winning.
“The rest may want peace, but only if Russia wins. The citizens will gladly sacrifice millions of lives to avoid defeat.
“They reject her categorically, but I’m sure they will lose.”
Ahead of Sunday’s first round match in Paris, Kostyuk added: “It’s not politics. War is war. We know how Russia and Belarus are acting in this war.
“They shoot civilians, capture civilians, loot homes, rape and kidnap children. This is genocide against the Ukrainian people, not against politics.
“Aryna could be number 1. She has such influence in the world and she refuses it. We talk about people getting killed, and we hear ‘keeping sports out of politics’. War does not determine whether you are an athlete when it comes to your home.’
Of Sabalenka, she said: “I have no respect for the fact that she continues to go to Russia, address the Russian press, and does not take her family out of the aggressor states despite having financial resources.
“I wouldn’t be able to accept myself if I stayed there and just kept making people have fun like before.”