Russia-Ukraine conflict: Fans warned Elina Svitolina and Victoria Azarenka would not shake hands at DC Open

Spectators astatine the DC Open were warned that Ukraine's Elina Svitolina would not shingle hands with Victoria Azarenka.

Belarusian Azarenka was booed aft Svitolina bushed her astatine Wimbledon and to debar a repeat, the scoreboard showed a connection during Svitolina's 7-6 (7-2) 6-4 first-round triumph successful Washington DC.

"It's the close thing," said satellite fig 27 Svitolina.

"I asked for the WTA [Women's Tennis Association] to respect the determination of Ukrainians and they did."

At the extremity of the match, some players headed consecutive to the sidelines and the umpire.

Two-time Australian Open champion Azarenka, playing connected her 34th birthday, said the informing to fans had arrived "18 months excessively late" and asked whether it was a large story.

"We conscionable determination on. We play a tennis match. As I said successful Wimbledon, I accept, respect somebody's position. That's it," she added.

Both players had failed to clinch the archetypal acceptable connected their ain service earlier Wimbledon semi-finalist Svitolina won it successful a tie-break.

The connection was shown aft the archetypal set, and determination was conscionable 1 clasp of service successful the 2nd arsenic 28-year-old Svitolina sealed triumph implicit the satellite fig 19.

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