Victoria Azarenka bested Jelena Ostapenko without any problems at the 2024 Qatar Open, but the end of their match was quite bizarre.
The Latvian is having an incredible season. She has won 14 matches already and lifted two WTA titles, most recently in Linz. On top of that, she lost only three matches this year, but all of them to one player.
Before the 2024 season, Azarenka and Ostapenko met twice, and the Belarusian won both of those matches. This year, she significantly improved that record, winning three matches against Ostapenko in a span of five weeks.
No other player than Azarenka was able to beat the Latvian player in 2024, and after they met at the WTA 1000 tournament in Doha, the frustration probably boiled over.
It was obvious that Ostapenko wasn't able to find answers to her opponent's questions, as Azarenka made virtually no errors, while Ostapenko sprayed forehands and backhands left and right.
On top of that, she committed eight doubles faults, and it wasn't a surprise when she lost the opening set 0-6. It didn't get any better in the second set, and after an hour and 28 minutes, Azarenka won the match 6-0, 6-3.
However, the most interesting part of the match came after it ended. Azarenka celebrated her victory, setting up a quarterfinal clash with Iga Swiatek, and approached the net to shake her opponent's hand as customary.
However, when she came to the net, what awaited her wasn't Ostapenko's hand, but rather her tennis racquet, which she wanted to tap with her, instead of giving a proper handshake.
Azarenka wasn't interested in that choosing approach 'handshake or nothing' and after the Latvian refused to shake her hand, the Belarusian did the same to her racquet tap. It was a very interesting situation, and one that will certainly be addressed by both players afterward.
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