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Jelena Ostapenko and Victoria Azarenka’s match again didn’t go without any drama as the Latvian refused to shake the Belarusian’s hand following their Doha match.
On Wednesday, former world No. 1 Azarenka ousted eighth-seeded Ostapenko 6-0 6-3 in the Doha round-of-16. Moments after sealing the win, Azarenka turned to her team and pointed with a finger at her head – seemingly gesturing that her mindset got the job done against Ostapenko.
As Azarenka was approaching Ostapenko at the net for a handshake, the Latvian actually stopped but offered her racket for a tap instead of her hand. As soon as Azarenka noticed Ostapenko’s act, she just turned around her head and went straight to the head. Presumably, Azarenka felt Ostapenko’s act was disrespectful.
1⃣5⃣0⃣ hard court wins 👏@vika7 defeats Ostapenko in straight sets 6-0, 6-3 and will face Swiatek in the quarterfinals.#QatarTotalEnergiesOpen pic.twitter.com/ET4xMqmofj
— wta (@WTA) February 14, 2024
For world No. 11 Ostapenko, it was her third loss of the season to Azarenka. Now, 34-year-old Azarenka owns a 5-0 head-to-head against Ostapenko, having also beaten the 26-year-old Latvian in their first two meetings in 2019 and 2021, respectively.
