WATCH: Jelena Ostapenko offers Victoria Azarenka racket tap instead of customary handshake after Qatar Open loss, Belarusian refuses Latvian's gesture

Victoria Azarenka and Jelena Ostapenko's third-round clash at the 2024 Qatar Open ended in controversy after Azarenka declined the latter's gesture for a racket tap at the net.

Azarenka and Ostapenko battled it out for a place in the quarterfinals of the WTA 1000 event in Doha. The Belarusian dominated the encounter, securing a 6-0, 6-3 win in an hour and 38 minutes. She delivered a clinical performance, recording just 20 unforced errors to the Latvian's 49. With her win, the former World No. 1 also extended her perfect record against Ostapenko to 5-0.

Victoria Azarenka celebrated her triumph by pointing emphatically to her head, seemingly alluding to her mental edge over Jelena Ostapenko, given their one-sided rivalry.

Approaching the net, the Belarusian shifted her racket to her left hand, presumably to leave her right hand free for the customary post-match handshake. However, the Latvian offered her racket for a tap instead, leading the two-time Grand Slam champion to refuse to engage with Ostapenko entirely and proceed directly to shaking hands with the chair umpire.

Controversy has often surrounded Victoria Azarenka and Jelena Ostapenko's encounters on tour. The Latvian recently drew the ire of tennis fans after she lashed out at the chair umpire for 'ruining her match' during their clash at the 2024 Brisbane International.

Subsequently, their matchup at the Australia Open also drew attention when Azarenka described the World No. 11's frequent challenges on line calls as "comical" after defeating the Latvian in the third round.

"I can't speak for how she feels and why she does it. I don't know. Some of the line callings, I mean, it can be a bit comical. I'm like, Whatever. What are you going to do? Sometimes we look at the lines and you're like, Are you sure it was in when it's close? When it's pretty obvious, then you maybe don't argue as much," she said in her post-match interview.

Victoria Azarenka to take on Iga Swiatek in Qatar Open QF after win over Jelena Ostapenko

Victoria Azarenka at the 2024 Australian Open

Following her win over Jelena Ostapenko, Victoria Azarenka will battle it out against Iga Swiatek for a place in the semifinals of the Qatar Open. Swiatek claimed a dominant 6-1, 6-4 win over Ekaterina Alexandrova to book her place in the quarterfinals of the WTA 1000 event.

The Pole enjoys a 2-1 lead in her head-to-head record against Azarenka, having defeated the Belarusian 6-4, 6-1 in their most recent encounter at the 2022 Italian Open.

Should Victoria Azarenka emerge victorious against the World No. 1, she will take on the winner of the match between Naomi Osaka and Karolina Pliskova for a spot in the Qatar Open final.