Marta Kostyuk Refuses To Shake Hands With Varvara Gracheva After Austin Final, Says No To Photoshoot

Marta Kostyuk won her first career title at the ATX Open in Austin when she beat Varvara Gracheva 6-3 7-5 in the final. She will move into the top 40 in rankings after this win. Kostyuk, who is from Ukraine, dedicated the victory to her home country, which is battling against Russia’s invasion.

At the end of the match, Marta Kostyuk refused to shake hands with Varvara Gracheva, who is Russian. Kosttuk also refused to participate in the traditional photoshoot after the final. She has vowed not to shake hands with Russian players on the tour because of Russia’s attack on Ukraine.

Kostyuk beat Anna-Lena Friedsam in the quarterfinals and Daniell Collins in the semifinals. This was the first career final for both Kostyuk and Gracheva.

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Rafael Nadal Leaves Top 10 After 912 Consecutive Weeks

Rafael Nadal is not in the top 10 for the first time since 2005. The longest reign in the top 10 for a male player has come to an end. What a run – 912 consecutive weeks in the top 10.

That’s despite all the injuries that Rafa had to go through in the last two decades. Rafa fans reminded us what the world was like when Rafa was last outside the top 10.

Here’s what rankings looked like before Rafael Nadal entered the top 10.

Many Rafael Nadal records will stand the test of time – his impressive record at the French Open, his clay court record, and now his top 10 reign.

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