Ukrainian tennis player Angelina Kalinina refused to shake hands with her Russian opponent after winning the semifinals of the Rome Masters tournament in Italy on Friday, CNN reports.

“I didn’t shake my hand because she is from Russia. It’s no secret why we didn’t shake hands, because this country is attacking Ukraine,” Kalinina told reporters after the match with Russian Veronika Kudermetova.

“Yes, I understand it’s about sports, but it’s also a political statement. It’s nothing personal, but what Russia is doing is unacceptable,” she said.

Ukrainian Angelina Kalinina (47 WTA) made a surprise and reached the final of the “WTA 1000” tournament in Rome, defeating Russian Veronika Kudermetova (12 WTA) with a score of 7-5, 5-7, 6-2.

When asked about the relationship with Kalinina and the influence of “political nuances”, Kudermetova answered: “We are athletes here. We are here and we love what we do here. It doesn’t matter what country you are from. We are athletes and that’s all. We’re here to play tennis.”

Kalinina denied that her opponent’s nationality had an impact on the tumultuous nature of the match, describing Kudermetova as “a top player, a very good player. It was about tennis.”

A 26-year-old Ukrainian woman said that a bomb exploded near the tennis academy where her parents work in Kyiv.

She also said that her grandparents had moved from Novaya Kakhovka, her hometown, after the explosion near their home.