WATCH: 'She Called You A B*tch': Rybakina's Coach Calls Out Ostapenko In Heated Clash

| by Zachary Wimer

The semifinal match at the 2023 Italian Open in Rome between Elena Rybakina and Jelena Ostapenko was about more than just tennis.

The Latvian is known for saying what she really thinks and one of those moments may have happened at the 2023 Italian Open in Rome. She was beaten by Rybakina in the semifinal match, but the handshake and what happened during the rain delay is what caught the attentive eye of some WTA fans.

When the match was over and two players met at the net, Ostapenko seemed to have said something to the Kazakh, but it was almost impossible to hear what the 2017 Roland Garros champion said and without any further clarification from her, we'll probably never know.

But another moment was more audible as Rybakina's coach, Stefano Vukov, said that he heard Ostapenko call his protégé 'a b*tch'. It should have happened in the second set when the two players were headed for the locker rooms during the rain delay. Microphones picked up Vukov saying:

Weird Italian Open Scheduling Raises Eyebrows Once Again
Weird Italian Open Scheduling Raises Eyebrows Once Again

"She told her you're a b*tch in front of me right now. And I say, listen, after we talk."

However, Rybakina wasn't influenced by anything that happened on or off the court and continued to show her best tennis to defeat Ostapenko in two sets and book a spot in her third WTA 1000 final of the season. After the match, she didn't speak about her opponent but she rather focused on her tennis.

"No, I think of course I'm more consistent. There is still a lot of things to improve. But, yeah, I'm happy that physically I can maintain and stay so long in the tournament till the end."

"Yeah, I think it's just overall all the years of experience and also adapting. Like I know the places where I go, so it's a little bit easier. Also preparation with the team. The team is bigger this year especially. I have fitness coach with me a lot of tournaments. Physio, coach always with me. Yeah, I think it's always just good work which we did."

'Small Kid' Tsitsipas & 'Bullsh*t Russian' Medvedev Set Up Spicy Semifinal Clash In Rome
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