Ukraine’s Kostyuk booed at French Open after no handshake with Belarus’ Sabalenka because of war

Ukraine's Kostyuk booed after not shaking hands with Belarus' Sabalenka at French Open

PARIS – At first, Aryna Sabalenka thought the boos and derisive whistles coming from the French Open crowd were directed at her after a first-round victory Sunday. Instead, the negative reaction was aimed at her opponent, Marta Kostyuk, for not participating in the usual post-match handshake up at the net. Kostyuk, who is from Ukraine, avoided so much as any eye contact with Sabalenka, who is from Belarus, after the match, instead walking direct…

Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk booed after refusing to shake hands with Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka at French Open

Kostyuk honored her pledge to not shake hands with Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka in protest of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Belarus is a key military ally of Moscow.

Ukraine's Kostyuk Booed for Refusing to Shake Hands With Belarus' Sabalenka at French Open

PARIS—The famously fickle Paris crowd made themselves heard on the opening day of the French Open, booing when Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk refused to shake hands after her first-round defeat by Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus on Sunday. Stefanos Tsitsipas, the runner-up in Paris in 2021, was later dragged into a dogfight by Czech Jiri Vesely before he advanced in four sets and seeds Karen Khachanov and Hubert Hurkacz also battled their way into the secon…

Ukraine’s Kostyuk booed at French Open after no handshake with Belarus’ Sabalenka

PARIS — Unable to sleep the night before her first-round match at the French Open against Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, the Grand Slam tournament’s No. 2 seed, Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine checked her phone at 5 a.m. Sunday and saw disturbing news back home in Kyiv. At least one person was killed when the capital of Kostyuk’s country was subjected to the largest drone attack by Russia since the start of its war, launched with an invasion assisted by …

Ukraine's Kostyuk Booed at French Open, Refused Handshake With Belarus Player

Unable to sleep the night before her first-round match at the French Open against Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, the Grand Slam tournament's No. 2 seed, Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine checked her phone at 5 a.m. Sunday and saw disturbing news back home in Kyiv. At least one person was killed when the capital of Kostyuk's country was subjected to the largest drone attack by Russia since the start of its war, launched with an invasion assisted by Belarus i…

Ukraine's Kostyuk booed at French Open after no handshake with Belarus' Sabalenka

Aryna Sabalenka initially thought the boos and derisive whistles coming from the French Open crowd were directed at her after a first-round victory. Instead, the negative reaction was aimed at her opponent, Marta Kostyuk, for not participating in the usual…