Aussie Maya Joint became an unwitting participant in a bitter 10-year feud at the US Open on Tuesday, which ended with a handshake snub after the match.
Joint’s US Open campaign ended as she and Hao-Ching Chan were beaten 6-4, 6-4 by Su-wei Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko in the second round of the women’s doubles.
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However, the outcome was overshadowed by tension between Hsieh and Chan, which was compounded by Ostapenko, whose fiery temper was on full display.
Following match point the Latvian screamed toward Chan’s box in celebration.
However, post-match Chan took exception with Hsieh, rather than Ostapenko.
The 32-year-old briefly shook hands with Ostapenko but didn’t even look at Hsieh as she quickly moved off court.
You can watch the incident in the player above.
Joint seemed perplexed by what happened post-match, as did Ostapenko, as they engaged in a brief discussion.
In an amusing turn of events, Ostapenko then appeared to forget to shake hands with the chair umpire as she left the court.
The net tension likely comes from a 10-year-long feud between the pair, who are both from Chinese Taipei.
The animosity stems from allegations that the latter receives a special funding allocation, extra coaching resources, and personal support staff from the Chinese Taipei Tennis Association.
Hsieh even withdrew from the doubles event at the Rio Olympics in 2016 over the issue.
Joint’s mixed US Open campaign
The match capped off an eventful US Open for Joint, who took a set off Elina Svitolina in the first round of the singles but ultimately lost.
However, that was the first time in her career that she managed to take a set off a top-10 opponent.
The 20-year-old backed that performance up by toppling the Williams sisters.
After her Flushing Meadows campaign ended, the Aussie took to social media to write: “Always a pleasure, already looking forward to next year”.