Revealed: Why Australian Open star Elina Svitolina REFUSED to shake hands with her opponent Veronika Kudermetova in very icy end to match
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Aussie tennis fans have questioned the actions of Elina Svitolina after the Ukrainian star refused to shake hands with her Australian Open opponent in the fourth round at Melbourne Park. Svitolina continued her inspired run to reach the Australian Open quarter-finals for the first time in six years on Monday.
![[Svitolina wrote a message of support for the people of Ukraine on a broadcast camera after her match against the Russian]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/20/03/94282755-14303475-image-a-36_1737344965465.jpg)
The one-time world No.3 followed up her third-round elimination of fourth seed Jasmine Paolini with a straight-sets win over Veronika Kudermetova on Monday. After falling behind 4-1 in the first set, Svitolina took full advantage of an injury to Kudermetova to power past the wounded Russian 6-4 6-1 on Rod Laver Arena.
![[Kudermetova was gracious about the snub, farewelling the Melbourne crowd before exiting the arena]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/20/04/94282751-14303475-Kudermetova_was_gracious_about_the_snub_farewelling_the_Melbourn-a-105_1737347211422.jpg)
However the Ukranian then refused to shake the hand of her Russian opponent, instead shaking hands with the chair umpire and then making a beeline to a broadcast camera to write a message for her supporters. 'The spirit of Ukraine,' Svitolina wrote with a drawing of a heart on the camera.
![[Svitolina has previously refused to shake the hand of Belarus star Victoria Azarenka at Wimbledon because of the conflict in Ukraine]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/20/04/94282765-14303475-Svitolina_has_previously_refused_to_shake_the_hand_of_Belarus_st-a-36_1737345665167.jpg)
Ukraine star Elina Svitolina (left) refused to shake the hand of her Russian opponent Veronika Kudermetova at the Australian Open. Svitolina wrote a message of support for the people of Ukraine on a broadcast camera after her match against the Russian.
![[The Ukraine war has been a sensitive topic in world tennis, with flags recently banned from events including the Australian Open]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/20/04/94282761-14303475-The_Ukraine_war_has_been_a_sensitive_topic_in_world_tennis_with_-a-104_1737347211378.jpg)
Kudermetova was gracious about the snub, farewelling the Melbourne crowd before exiting the arena. Svitolina's snub was driver by the Ukraine war that has ravaged her home nation. The Ukraine war began in February 2022 when Russia launched a full-scale invasion, a war that continues to this day.
