Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus set up a politically charged French Open quarterfinal with Ukraine's Elina Svitolina on Sunday and immediately set the tone for the high-profile confrontation by boycotting the media at Roland Garros for the second time.
Sabalenka, the Australian Open champion and world No. 2, defeated Sloane Stephens 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 to reach the last eight in Paris for the first time.
Tuesday's clash will be the third meeting between Sabalenka and Svitolina but the first since Russia's invasion of Ukraine last year. Belarus is a key military ally of Moscow.