Aryna Sabalenka has defended her opponent Marta Kostyuk after the Ukrainian was booed for refusing to shake her hand following a first-round match at the French Open.
Sabalenka eased to a 6-3, 6-2 victory in just 71 minutes in the first match of the tournament on the main court at Roland Garros on Sunday. But the world No2’s win was overshadowed by what happened afterwards, with Kostyuk ignoring the Belarussian, rather than taking part in the etiquette of shaking hands post-match.
Kostyuk has refused to shake hands with any Russian and Belarusian players since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. After the winning point for Sabalenka, Kostyuk shook hands with the chair umpire before heading straight to her chair without engaging with her opponent.
