Anhelina Kalinina took first place WTA Reaching the 1000th final of her career, the Ukrainian refused to shake the hand of her Russian rival Veronika Kudermetova after a tough match. Italian Open.
After deciding to record a 7-5, 5-7, 6-2 win over the 11th seed in two hours and 51 minutes, Kalinina kept her cool and will face Kazakhstan from now on. Elena Rybakina on the show piece.
The 30th seed underestimated Kudermetova on the net in the latest example of a Ukrainian tennis player turning her post-match tradition into a Russian due to the ongoing conflict between countries.
“We did not shake hands, since the girl is basically from Russia,” said Kalinina. It’s no secret why I’m not waving, because this country is really attacking. Ukraine.
“I understand it’s a sport but also a kind of politician issue. It’s nothing personal. But in general, yes, it is not acceptable.”
Wimbledon champion Rybakina beat Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko 6-2 6-4 in a game interrupted by the rain and came back from a 4-1 deficit in the second set to win five games.
“I’m happy that I won,” said Rybakina. “It was a really tough day overall with the rain delays. I came here with no expectations because I knew the other years were very tough for me when I was playing here.
“I’m happy that I got so many matches before the competition. French Open.”
[pub1]