Fans
reacted to the cold greeting between
Jelena Ostapenko and
Elena Rybakina after
their match at the Western & Southern Open.
In the
second round of the WTA 1000 event, there was an enticing showdown between two
former Grand Slam champions, facing each other for the fifth time with a
previous H2H record of 2-2.
Kazakhstani
player Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion, defeated Ostapenko, the 2017
French Open champion, with a score of 6-7(6), 6-2, 6-4.
In a tough
battle where Rybakina had to overcome a deficit, she secured an important
victory. Alongside the intriguing match, fans were surprised by the chilly
handshake that Ostapenko offered to Rybakina.
"I
understand being disappointed but these unprofessional drive-by handshakes by
the women are tiresome and too common. They need to learn to be gracious at the
net," a fan tweeted.
"Love
how (randomly) Ostapenko does not like Rybakina. Not sure what's to dislike
about the quiet Kazakh but Jelena has found it," another fan wrote
“Wins the
battle of the former grand slam champions? Once a slam winner always a slam
winner. Former doesn't work here. He should have just said battle of the grand
slam champs. Former works for #1 because you can only have one #1 at a time*
but you're always a slam champion.”
World No. 4
will face Italian Jasmine Paolini in the round of 16, the only qualifier
remaining in the competition. They previously met in the Rome Open earlier this
year, where Rybakina emerged victorious and eventually claimed the title.
The
27-year-old Italian is enjoying a remarkable phase in her career, securing her
first-ever top-40 ranking by progressing through the ranks. She defeated Rebeka
Massarova and Maria Camila Osorio Serrano in the qualifiers and continued her
journey with victories over Marta Kostyuk and Cristina Bucsa in the main draw.
Here are other tweets that were seen from the fans: