Ukraine’s Kostyuk booed after no handshake with Belarus’ Sabalenka
Unable to sleep the night before her first-round match at the French Open against Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, the Grand Slam tournament’s No. 2 seed, Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine checked her phone at 5 a.m. Sunday and saw disturbing news back home in Kyiv.
At least one person was killed when the capital of Kostyuk’s country was subjected to the largest drone attack by Russia since the start of its war, launched with an invasion assisted by Belarus in February 2022.
“It’s something I cannot describe, probably. I try to put my emotions aside any time I go out on court. I think I’m better than before, and I don’t think it affects me as much on a daily basis, but yeah, it’s just — I don’t know,” Kostyuk said, shaking her head. “There is not much to say, really. It’s just part of my life.”
That, then, is why Kostyuk has decided she will not exchange the usual postmatch pleasantries with opponents from Russia or Belarus. And that is why she avoided a handshake — avoided any eye contact, even — after losing to Australian Open champion Sabalenka 6-3, 6-2 on Day 1 at Roland Garros.
What surprised the 20-year-old, 39th-ranked Kostyuk on Sunday was the reaction she received from the spectators in Court Philippe Chatrier: They loudly booed and derisively whistled at her as she walked directly over to acknowledge the chair umpire instead of congratulating the winner after the lopsided result. The negative response grew louder as she gathered her belongings and walked off the court toward the locker room.
“I have to say,” Kostyuk said, “I didn’t expect it . ... People should be, honestly, embarrassed.”
Kostyuk is based now in
“These are emotional games and things can swing in that Game 7. The pressure can go back and forth in Game 7s quite a bit. We’re not going anywhere.”
But what may be most concerning for the Heat heading into Monday is the Celtics — typically reliant on their ability to make 3-point shots — were able to pull out Saturday’s win despite making a playoff-low 7 of 35 attempts from deep.
In addition, until Butler’s incredible flurry of 10 points in just over two minutes to put the Heat in front, he was mostly a non-factor on a night in which he went just 5 of 21 from the field. Over the past three games Butler has shot a combined 19 of 55.
He said it hasn’t shaken his resolve to do what he can to prevent what would
Monaco, and her mother and sister are there, too, but her father and grandfather are still in Kyiv. Perhaps the fans on hand at the clay-court event’s main stadium were unaware of the backstory and figured Kostyuk simply failed to follow usual tennis etiquette.
Initially, Sabalenka — who had approached the net as if anticipating some sort of exchange with Kostyuk — thought the noise was directed at her.
“At first, I thought they were booing me,” Sabalenka said. “I was a little confused, and I was, like, ‘OK, what should I do?”
be a disappointing finish for Miami.
“You’re going to get the same test until you pass it, I swear,” Butler said. “We were in this same position last year. We can do it. I know that we will do it. We’ve got to go on the road and win in a very, very, very tough environment.”
That environment just happens to be the city that is home to the first — and still only — team in Major League Baseball history to pull off a 3-0 series comeback.
That squad, the 2004 World Series champion Red Sox, rallied from that hole in the American League Championship Series against the rival New York Yankees.
David Ortiz, the 2004 ALCS MVP, said it makes sense that the Celtics are in
Sabalenka tried to ask the chair umpire what was going on. She looked up at her entourage in the stands, too. Then she realized that while she is aware Kostyuk and other Ukrainian tennis players have been declining to greet opponents from Russia or Belarus after a match, the spectators might not have known — and so responded in a way Sabalenka didn’t think was deserved.
“They saw it,” she “as disrespect me.”
All in all, if the tennis itself was not particularly memorable, the whole scene, including the lack of the customary prematch photo of the players following the coin toss, became the most noteworthy development on Day 1 in Paris.
The highest-seeded player to go home was No. 7 Maria Sakkari, who lost 7-6 (5), 7-5 to 42nd-ranked Karolina Muchova in what wasn’t necessarily that momentous of an upset. Both have been major semifinalists, and Muchova has won her past four Slam matches against players ranked in the top 10 — including beating Sakkari at the French Open last year. Also out: No. 21 Magda Linette, a semifinalist at the Australian Open, who lost 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 to 2021 U.S. Open runner-up Leylah Fernandez, and No. 29 Zhang Shuai. surmised, (for)
position to pull off what has previously been unthinkable.
“Yeah, and there’d be no better time than this one for that happen,” Ortiz said in an interview with The Associated Press. “If you do it in basketball, it’s got to be the same city.”
The Celtics are just 5-5 at home during these playoffs, but there is no place there would rather be with their season on the line.
“It’s going to be huge. The best two words in sports is ‘Game 7,’” Brown said. “And our home crowd, I know they’re going to bring the energy. So, I’m excited.”
There was no word on the status of Boston guard Malcolm Brogdon for Game 7. The NBA Sixth Man of the Year missed Saturday night’s win with a right forearm strain.