Aryna Sabalenka and Elina Svitolina battled in the semi-finals of the Australian Open on Thursday in frosty fashion, as they refused a pre-match photograph
12:56, 30 Jan 2026Updated 12:58, 30 Jan 2026
Ava Sultana’s mother has described the incident as “awkward”(Image: Getty)
The mother of a 10-year-old girl who found herself in the centre of an “awkward situation” before Aryna Sabalenka’s Australian Open clash with Elina Svitolina has called for politics to be kept out of tennis. Budding talent Ava Sultana was selected to take part in the pre-match coin toss for Thursday’s semi-final showdown, before posing at the net with each competitor.
Whilst pre-match photographs are typically taken with both competitors and the mascot together, Svitolina opted not to be photographed with Sabalenka, due to Russia’s continuing invasion of Ukraine. This is because Svitolina is Ukrainian, whilst Sabalenka comes from Belarus.
Consequently, Sultana had two separate photographs taken with the two tennis stars before the match, with her mother, Christina, now sharing her perspective on the matter. Speaking to Wide World of Sports, she said: “For her this is a special moment.
“She was totally excited to walk out there with her idols. She’s obviously none the wiser this morning because she wouldn’t have seen the media.
“But for us as parents, we’ve seen some of the stuff and gone ‘Well, what about the little kid who’s out there living her dream, and she’s been put in the middle of politics?’
“That’s not even an on-court political thing, it’s something totally separate to tennis. I think the fact they put kids in the middle of it, they should probably address these things so it’s not an awkward situation on court and then it turns into something.
“The kids don’t understand the background of it. They go, ‘Why didn’t they want to have a photo together? Why did she quickly walk away?’
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“Sabalenka took the time and put her arm around her and took a moment, then Svitolina kind of just quickly put her arm around and then walked off. It was quite awkward.”
The Mirror has contacted Tennis AU for comment.
Svitolina and Sabalenka also declined to shake hands after the match. The Ukrainian star has consistently refused to shake hands with competitors from Russia or Belarus since the conflict began, with tournament officials confirming beforehand that the customary gesture would not occur.
Following her 6-2 6-3 victory over Svitolina, Sabalenka was questioned about her rival’s choice to decline both a photograph and a handshake. She replied: “I’m not focusing on that.
Ava Sultana had to pose for separate photos with Aryna Sabalenka and Elina Svitolina(Image: Getty)
“They have been doing it for so long. It’s their decision, and I respect that. I think she knows that I respect her as a player.
“I know that she respects me as a player. That’s all I care [about]. About no handshake, it’s their decision. I respect that. About Elina, I felt like I didn’t have opportunity to even say, great job. I have it now, so great job, great match, great player, amazing tournament. Yeah, she played incredible.”
Following the victory, Sabalenka will now meet Elena Rybakina in the Australian Open final. Their clash is scheduled for 8.30am (UK time) at the Rod Laver Arena on Saturday.
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