Aryna Sabalenka Makes Her Feelings Clear on Elina Svitolina After Handshake Snub
Aryna Sabalenka has spoken about Elina Svitolina after the pair's semi-final match at the 2026 Australian Open.
On Thursday, the women's singles event took centre stage with Sabalenka taking on Svitolina in the first match.
The other semi-final will be contested by Jessica Pegula and Elena Rybakina.
Sabalenka was a class above as she sealed her place in Saturday's final by winning 6-2, 6-3.
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After the match, there was no handshake between the two players, with Svitolina maintaining her stance on not taking part in the traditional gesture with Russian and Belarusian players.
The Ukrainian has made her position clear ever since her country was first attacked.
During her on-court interview, Sabalenka was full of praise for Svitolina.
She said: "I’m super happy with the win, she is such a tough opponent and has been playing really incredible tennis throughout the whole week and I’m super happy to be through this tough match.
"I’ve been watching her game, against Mirra [Andreeva], Coco [Gauff], and I felt like I had to step in and put as much pressure as I good back onto her. I’m glad the level was there and I played great tennis."
Back in 2023, Sabalenka beat Svitolina in the quarter-final of the French Open.
The Belarusian also spoke glowingly about her opponent and made her feelings clear about the ongoing war.
She said at the time: "I think she didn't deserve all these boos. I'm giving such a big respect to her what she's doing after giving birth. It's impressive and I'm really impressed by what she's doing. I give big respect to her.
"I'm not supporting war. I don't want my country to be involved in any conflict. I said it many times, and you know where I stand, you know. You have my position. You have my answer. I answered it many times. I'm not supporting the war."
Topics: Tennis, Australian Open
Marcus Chan