Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska called out on her “disgraceful behavior” against Belarusian Victoria Azarenka as a salty absence of ‘sportsmanship’ ensues her victory

Dayan Yastremska beat Victoria Azarenka in straight sets to earn her maiden Grand Slam quarterfinal qualification.

Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska called out on her “disgraceful behavior” against Belarusian Victoria Azarenka as a salty absence of ‘sportsmanship’ ensues her victory

Victoria Azarenka, Dayana Yastremska (Images via Imago)

Ukrainian Dayana Yastremska had a terrific outing against Belarusian Victoria Azarenka in the fourth round at the 2024 Australian Open.

The 23-year-old exhibited great talent to beat a much-experienced Azarenka in straight sets. Yastremska beat Azarenka 7-6 (8-6), 6-4 in two hours to advance to the quarterfinals at the year’s first Grand Slam tournament.

YouTube video

While Yastremska earned praise for her top-notch gameplay against the Belarusian ace, she was criticized by the fans for the lack of sportsmanship. After Yastremska landed the final winner against Azarenka to close out the match, the Ukrainian was overjoyed.

FS Video

She had her hands aloft and acknowledged the applause from the crowd. However, Yastremska did not shake hands with Azarenka and this act from the Ukrainian did not sit well with the fans who thrashed the 23-year-old for her unsportsmanlike behavior. Social media was filled with posts criticizing the youngster. 

Congratulations! But why no handshake with @vika7? This is crazy! ITF authorities should step in! You can’t allow players to be treated like this. Whatever happened to #sportsmanspirit ??
A user questioned on X.

Sharing a wide spectrum of reactions online, check out other similar reactions to this act from Dayana Yastremska.

https://twitter.com/eustace_on23966/status/1749299274444148837

Dayana Yastremska ‘super happy’ to beat Victoria Azarenka

Dayana Yastremska might face criticism for the lack of sportsmanship in her actions, but the Ukrainian is super happy to beat Victoria Azarenka.

Dayana-YAstremska
Dayana Yastremska (Image via Imago)

The 23-year-old says that she had flashbacks of the last match she played here against Serena Williams when she won just three games in the entire match. Yastremska said although it is only the quarterfinals, she is as delighted as ever.

The 23-year-old also talked about the energy she drew from her team’s enthusiasm. Dayana said that they made her believe that she could do it. 

Today when I entered the court, I felt a little bit of nostalgia from the last match that I had with Serena. This time, I told myself that I have to win this match...I like to play aggressive. I just started boom, boom, boom, I don’t know how to explain it. I saw my team was very confident in me like “Come on!”, so I was like, “Come on, let’s go!”
Dayana Yastremska said. (H/T: Australian Open)

It is worth mentioning that Dayana Yastremska has made it to the quarterfinals at a Grand Slam tournament for the first time in her career. Her best performance at a major tournament prior to this was a fourth-round qualification at the 2019 Wimbledon. The Ukrainian will next face Linda Noskova in the quarterfinals.

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