Iga Swiatek calls for more support for Ukrainian players and 'better leadership' from WTA at Indian Wells

15.03.2023 - 14:13 eurosport.com

Iga Swiatek has called for more support for Ukrainian players on the WTA Tour and says there is «a lot of tension» in the locker room at the moment.

Ukrainian Lesia Tsurenko said she withdrew from her Indian Wells match against Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka this week after a panic attack following a discussion with WTA chief executive Steve Simon.

Ad Tsurenko told Big Tennis Ukraine she was “shocked” by Simon’s answers about tennis’ response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Russian and Belarusian players have been permitted to play on the WTA Tour without their country’s flag since Russia invaded Ukraine over a year ago.

Football tennis athletics Leadership ukrainian Steve Simon Emma Raducanu Iga Swiatek Lesia Tsurenko Russia Ukraine Belarus India

Elena Rybakina is through to the Indian Wells final after a straight sets 6-2 6-2 victory over world No.1 Iga Swiatek. Wimbledon champion Rybakina put in another impressive performance against the defending champion Swiatek, requiring just one hour and 17 minutes to emerge victorious. Ad It is the second time Rybakina has got the better of Swiatek this season after beating her at the Australian Open, and the defeat ends the Pole’s dream of becoming the first woman to defend the title at Indian Wells since Martina Navratilova in 1991.

Elena Rybakina overwhelms world No 1 Iga Swiatek to set up Indian Wells final with Aryna Sabalenka

Elena Rybakina has knocked out defending champion Iga Swiatek with a 6-2, 6-2 semi-final victory at Indian Wells on Friday to set up a clash against Aryna Sabalenka in the final.

Elena Rybakina Topples Iga Swiatek To Book Indian Wells Final With Aryna Sabalenka

Elena Rybakina again proved too much for world number one Iga Swiatek, denying the defending champion a return to the Indian Wells final with an emphatic 6-2, 6-2 semi-final victory on Friday. Moscow-born Kazakh Rybakina, the reigning Wimbledon champion who stunned top-seeded Swiatek in the fourth round of the Australian Open on the way to the final, will now get a chance to turn the tables on Aryna Sabalenka, who beat her in Melbourne to capture a first Grand Slam title. World number two Sabalenka advanced with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over seventh-seeded Maria Sakkari of Greece.

Aryna Sabalenka 'Feels Bad' For Ukrainian Players Amid War Tensions

Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues to stir tension in the tennis world, and Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka said Friday that it's not only Ukrainian players who are feeling the strain. "Of course it's a lot of tension between us," Australian Open champion Sabalenka said after beating Maria Sakkari to reach the final of the combined WTA and ATP Masters 1000 in the California desert. But, she added, "I still have this belief that I did nothing bad to Ukrainians -- not me, not Russian athletes."

WTA chief insists governing body are supporting Ukraine players after Iga Swiatek, Lesia Tsurenko criticism

WTA chief executive Steve Simon says the governing body are doing all they can to help players from Ukraine. Players from Russia and Belarus have played under a neutral flag since the start of the war in February 2022. Ad Anastasia Potapova was warned by the WTA for wearing a Spartak Moscow football shirt before her match against Jessica Pegula at Indian Wells this week.