No Handshake as Russian Potapova Beats Ukrainian Kostyuk In Heated Clash At Miami Open
WTAFriday, 24 March 2023 at 01:25
Updated at Friday, 04 April 2025 at 15:43
A very heated clash happened at the Miami Open as Anastasia Potapova bested Maria Kostyuk, with the players not exchanging a handshake after the match.
A Russian faced a Ukrainian on the tennis court, and it’s one of the more innocent interactions between these two groups of people these days, considering the war raging back on Ukrainian soil.
It was Marta Kostyuk against Anastasia Potapova, and the latter was able to get the win. There was no customary handshake after the match, as the Ukrainian player didn't want to shake hands with her Russian opponent.
Potapova, like most Russian players, hasn’t spoken publicly about the conflict, but her stance on the matter likely wouldn’t matter in this case, since the Ukrainian had no intentions to shake hands with her opponent.
This match was played shortly after Potapova received a warning from the WTA after wearing a Spartak Moscow t-shirt before her match with Jessica Pegula at Indian Wells.
The match itself went by in order as neither player created any kind of tension outside of the regular competitive nature of tennis matches. The match was played on Court 2 at the Miami Open, with Potapova winning the match 6-1, 6-3.
After the match, both players were quizzed about the situation, with Kostyuk saying that there are obvious tensions between the players from these two nations.
"Obviously there is tension. Like, we're not friends. We're at war at the moment. There are a lot of things that I don't agree with that WTA is doing. Warning? Whatever. You give her a warning. Do you want to suspend someone? I don't know. I can't comment on that really. It's just funny."
Potapova will face Coco Gauff in the next round after the American player bested Rebecca Marino in the second round of the WTA 1000 tournament. On the other hand, Kostyuk will have to try her luck in another event.
Popular News
Just In
