Aryna Sabalenka defeated Elina Svitolina to reach the semifinals of the French Open tennis tournament. Novak Djokovic also reached the semi-finals after a slow start in his match against Karen Khachanov.
Svitolina accused Sabalenka of creating controversy by waiting for a handshake that she knew would not happen.
Djokovic praised his own performance after winning the match. Carlos Alcaraz emerged victorious against Stefanos Tsitsipas and will face Djokovic in the semi-finals.
Karolina Mochova won her match against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova to book her place in the semi-finals.
Sabalenka expressed her disapproval of the war in Ukraine and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. She made it clear that she does not support war and does not want her country to be involved in any conflict.
Svitolina criticized Sabalenka for looking at the net, while Sabalenka defended her actions. Sabalenka will face Mochova in the semi-finals.
Meanwhile, Djokovic is aiming for his 23rd Grand Slam title and his third victory at the French Open. Despite losing the first set against Khachanov, Djokovic recovered to win the match. He termed the upcoming match against Alcaraz as his biggest challenge in the tournament and expressed his eagerness to face a strong opponent. Rising tennis star Alcaraz defeated Tsipas convincingly and will face Djokovic in the semi-finals.
Sabalinka’s win was marred by controversy between her and Svitolina. Svitolina refused to shake Sabalenka’s hand because of a dispute between their countries. Sabalenka made it clear that she does not support Lukashenko and does not want her country to be embroiled in a conflict.
He expressed his frustration with the media and described his decision to skip press conferences as a result of feeling disrespected. Sabalenka will now face Mochova in the semi-finals.
