Svitolina keeps post Match stance after Qatar Open Loss

Elina Svitolina again declined to shake hands with a Russian opponent after losing to Anna Kalinskaya at the Qatar Open.

The Ukrainian was beaten in the last 16, with Kalinskaya securing the win after a single break proved decisive. After the match, Svitolina thanked the umpire and left the court without approaching the net.

Svitolina has followed this approach since the start of the war in Ukraine, choosing not to shake hands with Russian or Belarusian players. The stance has been consistent across tournaments.

The defeat ended a strong start to 2026 for the seventh seed, who has already won a title this season and returned to the top 10 following her run to the Australian Open semi-finals.