War on Ukraine Reaches Into French Open, Tour

Oleksandra Oliynykova lost her French Open match on Saturday but made clear she's not backing off her public fight with Russian players over the war in Ukraine. The 25-year-old Ukrainian, beaten 7-5, 6-1 by Russia's Diana Shnaider, opened her post-match press conference by reading a prepared statement saying she "cannot stay silent" while civilians, including children, are being killed. The BBC reports she framed her stance as being "about humanity, not politics," and argued tennis should not "protect those who support or excuse" the invasion. Oliynykova has accused Shnaider of backing the war, pointing to her participation in a Gazprom-sponsored exhibition in St. Petersburg, which Oliynykova likened to competing in Nazi Germany at an event organized by the builders of Auschwitz.

Shnaider declined to discuss the war, saying she wasn't interested in her opponent's comments and defended playing in Russia as a rare chance to perform in front of family and friends. The WTA said it condemns the invasion but supports players' right to express themselves and a respectful environment. Oliynykova, whose father and boyfriend are soldiers and who trained through blackouts in Kyiv, says Ukrainian players are united in refusing handshakes with Russian opponents and in pressing the tour, which she said is being hypocritical by saying it can't act, per the Guardian. "You can be sanctioned if you are participating in a tournament organized by a betting company," Oliynykova said, "but if they have this mechanism, why will they not use this to the tournament organized by a war crimes sponsor?"