World number two beats American 7-6 (7\/5), 6-4 to reach quarter-finals
\nPARIS
\nAryna Sabalenka of Belarus moved into a politically-charged French Open quarter-final with Ukraine\u2019s Elina Svitolina on Sunday and immediately set the tone for the high-profile confrontation by boycotting Roland Garros media for a second time.
\nAustralian Open champion and world number two Sabalenka defeated Sloane Stephens 7-6 (7\/5), 6-4 to reach the last eight in Paris for the first time.
\nTuesday\u2019s clash will be the third meeting between Sabalenka and Svitolina but first since Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine last year. Belarus is a key military ally of Moscow.
\nSvitolina has played two Russians so far at the tournament and refused to shake hands with both in protest at the war.
\nSabalenka defeated Svitolina\u2019s Ukrainian compatriot Marta Kostyuk in the opening round last weekend.
\nKostyuk\u2019s decision also not to shake hands brought her a chorus of boos from the Paris crowd. Kostyuk said the spectators who jeered her should be \u201cembarrassed\u201d.
\nAfter beating Stephens on Sunday, it was announced that for the second match in succession Sabalenka would not appear at a post-match news conference.
\nShe boycotted her last scheduled press conference on Friday after defeating Kamilla Rakhimova in the third round.
\nShe claimed she \u201cdid not feel safe\u201d when previously questioned about the war and her relationship with Belarus president Alexander Lukashenko.
\n\u201cAryna Sabalenka will not be doing a general press conference tonight,\u201d said the organisers in a statement.
\n\u201cAn interview with a WTA editorial reporter will be conducted shortly and transcribed and distributed.\u201d
\nNot surprisingly, the delicate question of a Belarus v Ukraine clash was avoided in a bland, official handout provided by organisers. Sabalenka limited her comments to her expectations for Tuesday\u2019s match, pledging to show \u201cmy best tennis\u201d.
\nAfter her first two rounds, Sabalenka had fended off a series of tough questions over her individual stance on the war as well as links to the government in Belarus.
\nOn Wednesday she was asked why in 2020 she \u201csigned a letter to support Lukashenko\u201d when \u201che was torturing and beating up protestors\u201d in the street.
\n\u201cI have no comments to you, so thank you for your question,\u201d she replied.
\nEarlier, Svitolina, playing her first Grand Slam since becoming a mother, reached the quarter-finals for the fourth time.
\nThe Ukrainian defeated Daria Kasatkina 6-4, 7-6 (7\/5) for a seventh win in seven meetings against the Russian who was a semi-finalist last year.
\nDespite not shaking hands, Kasatkina still gave her rival a friendly thumbs-up.
\nSvitolina had described Kasatkina as \u201cbrave\u201d for supporting the decision by British tennis authorities to provide all Ukrainian players with two hotel rooms throughout the forthcoming grass court season peaking at Wimbledon.
\n\u201cDefinitely I acknowledged the match today. Really thankful for her position that she took,\u201d said Svitolina on Sunday.
\n\u201cYeah, she\u2019s a really brave person to say it publicly, not so many players did.\u201d
\nSvitolina said that she will not be shaking the hand of Sabalenka when they meet on Tuesday.
\n\u201cI have played last two matches against Russian players so it will not change, everything will be the same,\u201d she said.
\n\u201cSo I\u2019m used to it now, it\u2019s going to be the same.\u201d
\nIn marked contrast to Sabalenka, the 28-year-old Svitolina insisted that post-match press conferences have provided her and other Ukrainian players with a vital public platform.
\n\u201cTo have a press conference is a great thing. Players are sharing some moments that they have on the court, off the court,\u201d she said.
\nSvitolina\u2019s charge to the quarter-finals has caught the imagination at home.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s the story about self belief… it\u2019s a story about bravery… story about courage… Well deserved @ElinaSvitolina, thank you for giving Ukraine a reason to celebrate,\u201d tweeted former ATP Tour player Sergiy Stakhovsky.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
World number two beats American 7-6 (7\/5), 6-4 to reach quarter-finals PARIS Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus moved into a politically-charged French Open quarter-final with Ukraine\u2019s Elina Svitolina on Sunday and immediately set the tone for the high-profile confrontation by boycotting Roland Garros media for a second time. Australian Open champion and world number two Sabalenka […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":335792,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-335777","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n