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Aryna Sabalenka overcame early serve difficulties to defeat unseeded Belgian Maryna Zanevska 6-3, 6-2 on Tuesday and advance to the second round of the US Open 2023.
Sabalenka, who is attempting to win her second Grand Slam title and overtake Iga Swiatek to the top of the world rankings, was nowhere near her best but showed poise when it mattered the most in a difficult match.
The Australian Open champion had a rocky start, coughing up five double faults and conceding two service breaks. However, Zanevska couldn't take advantage of either opportunity, allowing her second-seeded opponent to escape unscathed.
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The match also sparked controversy when the Ukraine-born Belgian player ended her tennis career by refusing a post-match handshake with Aryna Sabalenka. In a show of unification with her birth country, the 30-year-old refused to shake the Belarusian's hand.
Tennis fans were outraged by Maryna Zanevska's behavior and took to Twitter to express their displeasure. One user commented that it's ironic that Zanevska loves her birth country so much but still plays for another.
"ZANEVSKA loves Ukraine so much and yet she plays under a different flag. The irony," the user wrote.
Another user stated that they would not do such a thing in the final match of their career.
"Not sure in my final match of my career if I’d have done that but okay," the user tweeted.
Another account posted:
"I honestly need someone to ask these Ukrainian(-born) players 1) what they think about bigotry 2) to explain how their current behaviour/attitude towards RUS/BLR is not bigoted 3) whether they think family/friends of RUS players’d be safe if they spoke out against the war/gov."
Here are a few more reactions from tennis fans:
"I felt so sorry for Maryna Zanevska" - Aryna Sabalenka
Aryna Sabalenka said in an on-court interview that she was relieved to have won despite the odds and that her opponent, Maryna Zanevska, played an "unbelievable" match.
"It was tough, tough start, it was so humid, I mean I couldn’t hold my racket so I’m really glad I was able to get through the situation and get this win. I think she played unbelievable match. She [Zanevska] fought till the end and I’m just super happy with the win," Aryna Sabalenka said.
The Belarusian also wished Zanevska good luck on her post-retirement journey, saying:
"I felt so sorry for her and I think she played great match and this is… I mean this a great match to finish her career and I wish she could play many more years but it is how it is and I wish her all the best in her next chapter."
