> CultureA semi-final match at the Australian Open drew major attention after world No. What Happened in the Sabalenka vs Svitolina Semi-Final? Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus vs Elina Svitolina of Ukraine at the semifinals of the Australian Open 🎾Svitolina refuses to shake the hand of Sabalenka because of the Russo-Ukraine conflict & Belarus's support for Russia. Match Impact and Sabalenka’s RunWith the victory, Sabalenka advanced to another Australian Open final, continuing her dominant run in Melbourne. Why the Moment Went ViralSearch interest surged around terms like “Sabalenka Svitolina handshake,” “Australian Open no handshake,” and “tennis semi final controversy.” The incident combined three high-interest elements: a Grand Slam semi-final result, a world No.