![]() She looked up at her entourage in the stands, too. Sabalenka tried to ask the chair umpire what was going on. “I was a little confused, and I was, like, 'OK, what should I do?” “At first, I thought they were booing me,” Sabalenka said. Initially, Sabalenka - who had approached the net as if anticipating some sort of exchange with Kostyuk - thought the noise was directed at her. Perhaps the fans on hand at the clay-court event's main stadium were unaware of the backstory and figured Kostyuk simply failed to follow usual tennis etiquette. Kostyuk is based now in Monaco, and her mother and sister are there, too, but her father and grandfather are still in Kyiv. People should be, honestly, embarrassed.” ![]() “I have to say," Kostyuk said, "I didn’t expect it. The negative response grew louder as she gathered her belongings and walked off the court toward the locker room. What surprised the 20-year-old, 39th-ranked Kostyuk on Sunday was the reaction she received from the spectators in Court Philippe Chatrier: They loudly booed and derisively whistled at her as she walked directly over to acknowledge the chair umpire instead of congratulating the winner after the lopsided result. And that is why she avoided a handshake - avoided any eye contact, even - after losing to Australian Open champion Sabalenka 6-3, 6-2 on Day 1 at Roland Garros. That, then, is why Kostyuk has decided she will not exchange the usual postmatch pleasantries with opponents from Russia or Belarus. I think I’m better than before, and I don’t think it affects me as much on a daily basis, but yeah, it’s just - I don’t know,” Kostyuk said, shaking her head. I try to put my emotions aside any time I go out on court. “It’s something I cannot describe, probably. Sunday and saw disturbing news back home in Kyiv.Īt least one person was killed when the capital of Kostyuk's country was subjected to the largest drone attack by Russia since the start of its war, launched with an invasion assisted by Belarus in February 2022. 2 seed, Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine checked her phone at 5 a.m. PARIS (AP) - Unable to sleep the night before her first-round match at the French Open against Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, the Grand Slam tournament's No.
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