Organisers of "Roland Garros" forced Ukrainian Oliinykova to remove her Kalinowsky Regiment patch: tennis player hid it and made it through to third round. VIDEO
Ukrainian tennis player Oleksandra Oliinykova continues her triumphant yet emotional journey at the French Open (Roland Garros). According to Censor.NET, following her high-profile comments about the Russian flag, the Ukrainian player faced strict formal restrictions from the tournament organisers regarding the symbols on her kit.
Before the start of her second-round match, the Roland Garros organisers forced Oliinykova to remove and conceal a patch bearing the insignia of the Kastus Kalinowski Regiment of Belarusian volunteers, which is fighting against the Russian occupiers as part of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Despite the officials’ demands, the Ukrainian athlete found a way to keep the important symbol with her and recorded a special video message to the defenders.
"Dear friends, warm greetings to the Ukrainian soldiers, greetings to the Belarusian volunteers. I am currently at Roland Garros. Due to formal requirements, I was forced to remove the patch from my outfit during the match, a patch given to me by my father’s comrades. These people are currently fighting for an independent Europe and stand shoulder to shoulder, repelling Russian aggression alongside our Ukrainian soldiers. But I want you all to know that this spot is reserved for this patch, which means the world to me, and during the match it’s in my pocket, and it’s always with me. So, once again, a huge thank you. And I want you to know that despite this requirement, the symbol is with me," emphasised Oleksandra Oliynikova.
Victory and a place in the third round
This incident did not dampen the Ukrainian’s fighting spirit. This morning, Oleksandra Oliinykova (WTA No. 65) played an extremely tough and gruelling second-round match against Australia’s Kimberly Birrell (WTA No. 83), who caused a sensation at the start of the tournament by knocking out world No. 5 Jessica Pegula.
The match lasted 2 hours and 14 minutes and ended with a victory for the Ukrainian in three sets, decided by a tie-break: 6-3, 0-6, 7(10)-6(5).
During the first-ever head-to-head meeting between these players, Oliinykova hit two aces and committed three double faults. It should be noted that in the first round of the competition, Oleksandra thrashed the ‘neutral’ player with a Russian passport, Elena Pridankina.
Oleksandra Oliynikova’s next opponent in the Roland Garros round of 32 will be the winner of the match between Diana Schneider (WTA No. 23) and McCartney Kessler (WTA No. 48).
