Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka continued her sensational form at the 2024 Australian Open and afterwards she admitted she was unperturbed after her opponent Lesia Tsurenko once again opted not to shake her hand.
Sabalenka recorded her first-ever double bagel on WTA Tour-level on Friday as she crushed Tsurenko 6-0, 6-0 in only 52 minutes in their third-round clash on Rod Laver Arena.
With three victories in the bag, Sabalenka heads into the fourth round having dropped just six games in total.
But her win over Tsurenko did end on an uneasy note as there was again no post-match handshake as players from the Ukraine refuse to shake hands with their counterparts from Russia and Belarus following the invasion of their home country nearly two years ago.
Sabalenka and Tsurenko, though, did acknowledge each other and that was good enough for the world No 2.
“This situation has been happening for a long time on tour and I understand and respect everyone’s position,” Sabalenka said.
“She was quite respectful. She said, ‘great play’. She didn’t shake my hand, but she was respectful to me, so I appreciate that.”
Asked why she still refuses to shake the hands of players from Russia and Belarus, Tsurenko replied: “This is very tough to explain, you just have to feel what I feel and you will not have these questions for me.”
She added: “I feel like so many things that were so important for me are not important any more, like a tennis match.
“I don’t feel like I really care about how I finish the match, what is the score. I care more about the fact I can be here and I can remind the world that the war is still on, I care about the fact that I can earn some money and I can donate and I can help other people.”
Sabalenka, meanwhile, is delighted to follow in world No 1 Iga Swiatek’s footsteps by dishing out bagels (winning sets 6-0) on a consistent basis. Swiatek handed more than 20 bagels in both 2022 and 2023.
“Last year Iga won so many sets 6-0 and one of my goals is trying to get closer to her,” Sabalenka said.
“I’m super happy with the level I’m playing so far and I’m just hoping I can just keep going like that, or even better.”
The second seed faces Amanda Anisimova for a place in the quarter-final after the American defeated former world No 2 Paula Badosa 7-5, 6-4.
World No 442 Anisimova, a former French Open semi-finalist, returned to action at the start of this year after taking a hiatus from the game last year.
“She’s a super player and I’m really happy to see her back and I’m looking forward to a tough match,” Sabalenka said.
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