Belarus’ Azarenka dropped from Ukraine exhibition at US Open

NEW YORK (AP) — Two-time major champion and former No. 1 Victoria Azarenka has been dropped from a pre-U.S. Open exhibition event raising money for humanitarian assistance in Ukraine. Azarenka is from Belarus, which helped Russia launch its invasion of Ukraine in February. At least one Ukrainian tennis player, Marta Kostyuk, questioned having a Belarusian player participate in the U.S. Tennis Association’s “Tennis Plays for Peace Exhibition,” scheduled for Wednesday night in Louis Armstrong Stadium at Flushing Meadows. The USTA issued a statement Wednesday saying that Azarenka would not participate because of “sensitivities to Ukrainian players.”