Ukrainian tennis star withdraws from final over Russia conflict, 16‑year-old opponent plays against a man

The conflict between Ukraine and Russia has notably affected various sectors, including the tennis community. It has become common not to see handshakes after matches involving players from these countries, as well as from Belarus.

Marta Kostiuk is one tennis player who upholds this trend. Her decision not to shake hands with Victoria Azarenka and Aryna Sabalenka stirred debate. However, Kostiuk remains indifferent to the differing opinions on her behavior.

"I used to have relationships with other tennis players, we were close, partly because I can speak Russian. But that is no more," said the 21-year-old in July.

Kostiuk has even gone a step further in distancing herself from Russians. Normally, after the draw, the tournament arbiter takes a picture with both tennis players. But Kostiuk declined a joint photo with Daria Kasatkina, leading to the judge taking separate photos.

Despite the season's end, showcase tournaments are already underway. In one tournament, Kostiuk managed to advance to the finals, where she was supposed to play against Russian Mirra Andriejewa. However, Kostiuk ultimately withdrew from the match.

"Due to uncontrollable circumstances and considering the geopolitical situation in Ukraine, Marta Kostiuk cannot participate in the finals of the 6th Negometal Open. We have gone to great lengths to mobilize our network of professional players, but the short timing has unfortunately made it impossible to find a replacement. Therefore, we decided to put forward our local player, Yanis Ghazouani Durand against the promising young Mirra Andriejewa." This statement comes from the official announcement of the French event.

Due to these circumstances, the 57th ranked player in the WTA world ranking faced a male tennis player, ranked 1145th in the ATP ranking. Though the initial round was close, the Frenchman won 7:5. In the second set, his victory was more decisive with a 6:2 score. Unsurprisingly, Andriejewa was deemed the women's tournament winner.