'What can I do?' Sabalenka brushes off handshake snub
Marta Kostyuk explained that not shaking Aryna Sabalenka's hand and talking about Ukraine following her Brisbane International defeat was her duty, and to not highlight the issues at home would be "inhumane".
Marta Kostyuk's run to the Brisbane International final was remarkable for many reasons.
The 23-year-old Ukrainian had a relatively disappointing 2025, only making three quarterfinal appearances across the season.
But in Brisbane, she recorded victories over top-10-ranked opponents, beating number two seed Amanda Anisimova, number six seed Mirra Andreeva, and fourth seed Jessica Pegula to make her first WTA final appearance in 21 months.
In the final, however, she came unstuck, losing in straight sets against world number one Aryna Sabalenka.
Playing Sabalenka has always been a challenge for Kostyuk.
Aryna Sabalenka claimed a second-straight Brisbane International trophy. (Getty Images: Bradley Kanaris)
The pair have met five times now, with the Belarusian winning on all five occasions.
There are also tensions between the pair off-court.
Belarus has been an active supporter of Russia's aggression in Ukraine, prompting Kostyuk to take a stance of refusing to shake the hand of any Russian or Belarusian player she faced.
Before the final, organisers confirmed there would be no joint photograph of the players before or after the match to avoid any doubt.
On court, following the defeat, the world number 20 pointedly refused to acknowledge Sabalenka in any way, using her post-match on-court interview to instead highlight the plight of her fellow Ukranians in the midst of a tough winter.
"I want to say a few words about Ukraine," Kostyuk said.
"I play every day with a pain in my heart. There are thousands of people who are without light and warm water right now, it's minus-20 degrees outside right now, so it's very, very painful to live this reality every day.
"I was incredibly moved and happy to see so many Ukrainian fans and flags here this week … slava Ukraini."
Marta Kostyuk has not beaten Aryna Sabalenka in five attempts. (Getty Images: Albert Perez)
In the post-match press conference, she elaborated further, saying it was her duty to talk about Ukraine.
"I think it's important for me to use my platform in the right way, and my platform is Ukraine, because I represent Ukraine, so I think it's really important to talk about that," she said.