"Booed for being respectful on my opponent's position not to shake hands" - Kasatkina condemns French Open crowd after Svitolina match 

Daria Kasatkina has expressed unhappiness at the French Open crowd for booing her just because she respected Svitolina's decision to not shake hands.

Svitolina has repeatedly said she would not be shaking hands with Russian or Belarusian players following tennis matches, to express solidarity with her country. A number of Ukrainian players have declined to shake hands with Russian opponents post-match since the war began, and Kasatkina said earlier she understands their decision.

Kasatkina and Svitolina faced off against each other in the third round of the French Open on Sunday, June 4. This marked the second game on the trot that Svitolina had to compete against a Russian player.

The French Open crowd booed Svitolina for refusing to shake hands with Russian Anna Blinklova after her second-round match. Two days later, the same treatment was meted out to Kasatkina.

Kasatkina later said she was leaving Paris with a "bitter" feeling because she felt she was booed simply for respecting her opponent’s decision not to shake hands.

“Leaving Paris with a very bitter feeling. All these days, after every match I’ve played in Paris, I always appreciate and thanked crowd for their support and being there for players. But yesterday I was booed for just being respectful of my opponent's position not to shake hands,” Kasatkina wrote on her Twitter handle.

Kasatkina further implored people to love each other and avoid spreading hate. She signed off by saying she loved Roland Garros and would be back next year.

“Me and Elina showed respect to each other after a tough match but leaving the court like that was the worst part of yesterday," wrote the Russian. "Be better, love each other. Don’t spread hate. Try to make this world better. I will love RG no matter what, always and forever. See you next year."

Elina Svitolina to face Aryna Sabalenka in French Open quarterfinals

2023 French Open - Day Eight

Elina Svitolina has put together an inspired run at the French Open so far. Playing her first Major since the 2022 Australian Open and becoming a mother last October, Svitolina rode a wave of crowd support on Court Suzanne-Lenglen to derail Kasatkina.

She will next face World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka in the last eight as the French Open heads into the second week.

The former World No. 3 from Ukraine expressed gratitude for Kasatkina's stance on the Russian invasion, which she has publicly denounced. Svitolina added that Kasatkina had to be "brave" to admit that publicly, as not many players have done that.

"Yeah, definitely, I acknowledged the match today," Svitolina said. "Really thankful for the position that she took. Yeah, she's a really brave person to say it publicly, that not so many players did. She's a brave one."

Svitolina is playing in only her sixth tour-level tournament since actively returning to the game in April. She is currently on an eight-match winning streak, having claimed the title in Strasbourg prior to arriving in Paris.