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Elina Svitolina has shared her appreciation for her French Open fourth-round opponent Daria Kasatkina's brave stance on the Ukraine war.
On Sunday, June 4, Svitolina advanced to the quarterfinals of the clay court Major for the fourth time in her career after defeating Russia's Kasatkina. The Ukranian came through with a 6-4, 7-5(5) victory in one hour and 56 minutes.
While Svitolina continued the tradition of not shaking hands with Russian players at the net, she did acknowledge the thumbs-up gesture Kasatkina directed at her after the match.
Daria Kasatkina has been famously outspoken about her stance against Russia's invasion of Ukraine. She also expressed empathy with Ukrainian players after no handshake was exchanged with Lesia Tsurenko following their Madrid Open clash in April.
"The saddest part is the war's still going on, so of course the players from Ukraine they have got a lot of reasons to not shake our hands. I accept it, and it is how it is. It's a very sad situation. I was actually happy she waved me back [when leaving the court]," Kasatkina said at the time.
In her post-match press conference, Elina Svitolina confirmed that she had indeed acknowledged Kasatkina after their match. The Ukranian expressed her gratitude for the Russian's "brave" public stance against the war.
"Yeah, definitely I acknowledged the match today. Really thankful for her position that she took. Yeah, she's really brave person to say it publicly, that not so many players did. She's a brave one," Svitolina said.
"I have played last two matches against Russian players so it will not change, everything will be same" - Elina Svitolina on French Open QF opponent Aryna Sabalenka
Elina Svitolina will be up against a tough challenge in the quarterfinals of the 2023 French Open as she takes on second seed Aryna Sabalenka.
When asked about the political sensitivities of playing against a Belarusian, Svitolina highlighted her recent experience of playing against two Russian players and stated that she expected the situation to stay the same.
"Well, I have played last two matches against Russian players so it will not change, everything will be same. So I'm used to it now, it's gonna be the same," Svitolina said.
Sabalenka defeated Sloane Stephens 7-6(5), 6-4 to advance to her first quarterfinal at the clay court Major. The World No. 2 is yet to drop a set in the tournament.
Elina Svitolina and Aryna Sabalenka have split the results of their two previous meetings, leaving their head-to-head record at an even 1-1.
However, it was Svitolina who emerged victorious in their most recent encounter in the 2020 Strasbourg semifinal.
