Politics and tennis collide as players skip formalities at Australian Open semifinal

Aryna Sabalenka powered past Elina Svitolina in the first women’s semifinal at the Australian Open, winning 6-2, 6-3 and booking her place in the final. But beyond the scoreline, one of the most talked about moments of the day came from what did not happen at the net after match point.

In a matchup shaped by both elite tennis and ongoing geopolitical tensions, tournament officials took the unusual step of warning the crowd in advance that there would be no traditional postmatch handshake between the players.

Tournament alerts crowd about no handshake

During the match, a message appeared on the stadium video boards informing spectators what to expect once it ended.

“At the conclusion of the match, there will be no handshake between the players. We appreciate your respect for both athletes during and following the match.”

Why Svitolina and Sabalenka didn’t shake hands

The notice was aimed at preventing confusion or crowd reaction tied to the ongoing war in Ukraine. Ukrainian players, including Svitolina, Marta Kostyuk and Dayana Yastremska, have consistently declined handshakes with Russian and Belarusian opponents since the invasion began, citing Belarus’ support for Russia.

Svitolina has followed that stance throughout the tournament. In a previous round, she defeated Russia’s Mirra Andreeva and left the court without a handshake.

The expected scene plays out at match point

The semifinal ended exactly as officials had forecast. After closing out the win, Sabalenka walked to the net to thank the chair umpire, then turned away without acknowledging Svitolina and began celebrating her return to the Australian Open final.

The no-handshake moment has become a familiar scene on the WTA Tour over the past two seasons when Ukrainian players face Russian or Belarusian opponents, and it unfolded without incident in Melbourne.

Sabalenka docked a point for “hindrance”

The match also featured a bizarre and rare rules call against Sabalenka that briefly shifted momentum early in the contest.

In the fourth game of the first set, the chair umpire awarded a point to Svitolina for hindrance after ruling that Sabalenka shouted during a shot in a way that interfered with her opponent. Sabalenka hit a ball that appeared headed long but dropped in, only for the point to be taken away because of the vocalization.

Sabalenka requested a video review, but the decision stood.

According to the chair umpire, Sabalenka made a sound that differed from her typical grunt. “You said ‘Uh-Aya,’ you didn’t make your normal sound,” the umpire told her, leaving the Belarusian star visibly stunned.

Sabalenka reacts to bizarre call

Speaking afterward, Sabalenka said she had never experienced a hindrance call like that before.

“That’s never happened to me, especially because of my shouts,” she said. “It felt very strange. I was thinking, what is going on? I think it was a mistake and it really bothered me. But in a way it helped me and actually improved my level.”

Despite the strange moment and the tense atmosphere around the matchup, Sabalenka stayed in control, winning in straight sets and moving one victory away from another Australian Open title. She will play for the championship against Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan on Saturday.

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