Daria Kasatkina is now a married woman, with the Russia-born Australian WTA star having tied the knot with her long-time partner Natalia Zabiiako earlier this month. However, a moment from the happy wedding ceremony involving a couple of Ukrainian WTA players dancing with Russians irked fellow Ukrainian and World No. 52 Oleksandra Oliynykova, who subsequently blasted her compatriots.

    Yuliia Starodubtseva and Nadiia Kichenok were the two Ukrainians who were filmed dancing cheerfully with Russian players during Kasatkina and Zabiiako's intimate seaside wedding ceremony in Greece. Oliynykova, refusing to accept that Ukrainian nationals can dance with Russians amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, took to her social media and criticized the pair, writing:

    It's worth noting that Daria Kasatkina, who switched her nationality from Russian to Australian, has spoken up against the Russian invasion of Ukraine and subsequent war on multiple occasions in the past. For instance, at the 2023 Madrid Open, Kasatkina, who at the time was still a Russian national, voiced her understanding of Ukrainian players refusing to shake their Russian rivals' hands.

    Several tennis fans on Reddit disapproved of what Oleksandra Oliynykova wrote on social media targeting compatriots Yuliia Starodubtseva and Nadiia Kichenok for dancing with Russians during Daria Kasatkina's wedding. The Russian contingent at the wedding included reigning French Open champion Mirra Andreeva and former No. 11 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.

    On the tennis front, Daria Kasatkina was most recently in action at this year's Wimbledon Championships, where she lost to Naomi Osaka in the third round. Meanwhile, Oleksandra Oliynykova is currently participating in the WTA 250 Iasi Open, and is set to soon take to the court for a quarterfinal clash against Clara Burel.

    Yuliia Starodubtseva and Nadiia Kichenok, like Kasatkina, haven't played competitively since the respective ends of their Wimbledon campaigns.

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    Published on 17 July 2026 by sportskeeda

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