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Aryna Sabalenka says Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk ‘did not deserve’ to be booed off the court after refusing to shake hands at the end of their French Open clash.
The world No 2 from Belarus, who won 6-3 6-2 to advance to the second round in Paris, was not surprised by the snub, which led to jeers from a thin Court Philippe Chatrier crowd.
Kostyuk had previously made it clear she would not shake hands with tour rivals from Russia and Belarus - which is a staging ground for Moscow's 'special military operation' in Ukraine - if she felt they had not been sufficiently vocal in speaking out against it.
"I understand why they're not shaking hands with us," said Sabalenka. "I can imagine if they shake hands with us, what's going to happen to them from the Ukrainian side.