Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina and Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova avoid shaking hands after the US Open epic … after Lesia Tsurenko and Ekaterina Alexandrova had an awkward exchange in another Ukraine-Russia duel
- Elina Svitolina defeated Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in just under three hours
- And there was no handshake between the two after the game was over
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Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina and Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova refrained from shaking hands after a hard-fought match at the US Open on Thursday.
Svitolina came back to win 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 in just under three hours, and Pavlyuchenkova had already left the court when her opponent went to the net to thank the referee.
Earlier this summer, Svitolina refused to shake hands with Belarus’ Aryna Sabalenka after a French Open quarterfinal clash, which Sabalenka won.
Svitolina had stated before the tournament that she would not shake hands with either Russian or Belarusian players – because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and Belarus’ role in supporting Russia.
After her loss to Sabalenka, she said her opponent inflamed the situation by waiting at the net for a handshake.
Elina Svitolina (above) approached the referee’s chair and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova had already left the field
Pavlyuchenkova was seen leaving the court after her three-set loss to Svitolina
Svitolina moved into the third round of the US Open with the victory on Thursday afternoon
Last month, Svitolina also did not shake hands with Belarusian Victoria Azarenka at Wimbledon.
The former world. According to the Independent, No. 1 was booed off the pitch.
Svitolina vs. Pavlyuchenkova wasn’t the only Open match on Thursday that resulted in a frosty exchange of blows.
Ukrainian Lesia Tsurenko and Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova also did not shake hands after winning in straight sets.
Lesia Tsurenko and Ekaterina Alexandrova did not shake hands at the end of their match
However, the two acknowledged each other from a distance as they approached the umpire’s chair, with Alexandrova seen raising her racket slightly.
Alexandrova won the match 6-1, 6-3 and advanced to the third round, where she will face reigning Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova.
Svitolina will face Jessica Pegula in the next round.