In a recent development at the Australian Open, Ukrainian tennis player Dayana Yastremska commented on her compatriot Yelyzaveta Kotliar’s handshake with Russian opponent Vlada Mincheva. The 16-year-old Kotliar’s gesture sparked controversy as Ukrainian players have refrained from shaking hands with opponents from Russia and Belarus due to the ongoing war.
Yastremska, speaking after her quarterfinal victory in Melbourne, offered insight into Kotliar’s actions, stating, “I think she’s still a little bit young. Not so experienced. It can happen with everyone. I cannot judge her because I don’t know what was in her head. So did she [do] this on purpose or not on purpose, I don’t know. But I’m sure that she stands by Ukraine, and I’m sure that she just got too emotional and confused.”
The Ukrainian Tennis Federation acknowledged the incident as a mistake, emphasizing its support for players not shaking hands with representatives from “aggressor countries.” Kotliar’s father, Kostiantyn, provided an explanation, attributing the incident to his daughter’s lack of experience in significant competitions.
“Liza is only 16 years old, she has no real experience of playing in such significant competitions as the grand slam tournaments, the very top of both professional and junior tennis,” he explained. “It was definitely a mistake that Liza regrets and assures that she will never allow anything like that to happen again.”
In the backdrop of the war, Russian and Belarusian tennis players have continued to participate in tournaments as neutrals, without their flag or country displayed. Wimbledon was the exception, temporarily banning players from these countries in 2022.
Meanwhile, Yastremska, at 23, continued her remarkable run at the Australian Open, securing a spot in the semifinals by defeating the Czech Republic’s Linda Nosková 6-3 6-4. Reflecting on her achievement, Yastremska expressed joy in making history, becoming the first Australian Open qualifier since 1978 to reach the semifinals.
“It’s nice to make history,” she said. “I’m really happy to be in my first semifinals. I was a little bit nervous, but at the same time tired.”
Yastremska is set to face China’s Zheng Qinwen in the Australian Open semifinals on Thursday, marking a pivotal moment in her career and contributing to the broader narrative of Ukrainian athletes navigating complex geopolitical dynamics on the global stage.
Yastremska at the Australian Open, ranking, and results in 2024
LWLLLLLLLW At the moment ranked no.93, Dayana has an overall 10-1 record in 2024. Dayana is participating at the Australian Open where she bested the world no.221 Lea Boskovic 6-3 4-6 6-3, the world no.219 Valentini Grammatikopoulou 6-4 3-6 6-4, the world no.565 Maya Joint 6-2 1-6 6-4, the world no.7 Marketa Vondrousova 6-1 6-2, the world no.39 Varvara Gracheva 6-3 6-2, the world no.26 Emma Navarro 6-2 2-6 6-1, the world no.22 Victoria Azarenka 7-66 6-4 and the world no.50 Linda Noskova 6-3 6-4.
Dayana Yastremska will come up against the world no.15 Qinwen Zheng in the semifinal on Thursday at 9:30 pm on Rod Laver Arena. They have never competed against each other until now in top tournaments.
Yelyzaveta Kotliar in 2024
LWLWLWLWLW Now ranked no. (career-high), Yelyzaveta played her last match on the 3rd of October 2023 when she had to retire when playing against Julita Saner in the 1st round and the scoreline was 6-4 3-1 .
At present, during this year Kotliar has achieved a compiled 0-0 win-loss record.
Dayana Yastremska and Yelyzaveta Kotliar have never squared off.
