Marta Kostyuk explains stance on not shaking Aryna Sabalenka's hand after Brisbane International final

Marta Kostyuk's run to the Brisbane International final was groundbreaking for many reasons.

The 23-year-old had a relatively disappointing 2025, only making three quarterfinal appearances across the season.

Kostyuk recorded consecutive 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.

But against world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the final, she came unstuck, losing in straight sets.

Playing Sabalenka has always been a challenge for Kostyuk.

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 per 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."

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.

"I think, I have such exposure, so many people follow me, so many people look up to me … I have just learned with the war and everything that's going on that it's really important to stand up for things and to talk about them, whether it's war, whether it's other beliefs, or the position that you have, no matter what it is, if it's what you believe in, you have to talk about it.

"I'm here, I do my job, of course, this is the most important thing, but at the same time, the reality back home is very, very different.

"So I just, I feel like I cannot ignore it, and I have to share it. I have platform for this, and I have voice.

"In my position, it's not OK to not talk about it. It's just, I mean, it's just gonna be inhumane for me."

Sabalenka has spoken out against the war in the past.

"No-one in this world, Russian or Belarusian athletes, supports the war. Nobody," Sabalenka said in 2023 at the French Open, when Kostyuk was booed for not shaking Sabalenka's hand.

"If we could stop it, we would, but, unfortunately, it's not in our hands."

In Brisbane on Sunday, Sabalenka praised Kostyuk on court, before saying the stance of Ukraine's players on shaking her hand was their decision.

"It's their position. What can I do? I don't mind that. I don't care about that," Sabalenka said.

"When I go into the match, it's all about tennis and sport.

"When I go out there, I think about my tennis and the things I have to do to get the win. Doesn't matter if it's Marta Kostyuk or Jessica Pegula there. I still go out there, and I still try my best, and I'll still fight for the trophy.

"I have nothing to prove. I go there and I just compete as an athlete."

There was more off-court beef relating to the pair apart from geopolitical issues, too.

Late last year, Kostyuk was quoted as saying players like Sabalenka and world number two Iga Świątek had an advantage because they had more testosterone than other players.

As Sabalenka sealed the victory, she pointedly kissed both biceps while looking at her opponent, although she later said the gesture was an in-joke between members of her team.

Kostyuk said she had been misquoted and that the situation was "sad" when asked about it in Brisbane.

But she did not apologise.

"If I had said something wrong, I never have a problem to apologise, or to reach out to someone or whatever," Kostyuk said after her semifinal victory.

"But this was not the case at all … I knew what I said, so I was okay."

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