Coffen said the tournament hit a snag after Donna Vekic refused to play due to shoulder pain, and they had to quickly find a replacement. Many tennis players refused and only Kostyuk agreed. She expressed her willingness to play with Andreeva, provided that she did not have to shake her hand, as is usually done at WTA tournaments.
The current situation has led to enormous pressure on Kostyuk on social media and on Sunday morning she refused to participate in the final. Coffin and Andreeva decided to play a match involving Yanis Ghazouani, number 1 and number 88 in France, to replace the proposed fight with Kostyuk.
The organizer expressed her disappointment and understanding of the difficulties of last-minute substitutions, and also noted a friendly visit from Kostyuk on Sunday morning, where she spent time with the young players, signed autographs and behaves professionally, trying to calm the situation.
- Tarpishchev commented on the refusal of Ukrainian Kostyuk from the match with Mirra Andreeva at the exhibition tournament
Source: Sport
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