Pakistan, Aug. 7 -- Former world number three Elina Svitolina said she was flooded with online abuse, including death threats, after her Canadian Open defeat on Tuesday and blamed the "shameful" behaviour on disgruntled bettors.

The 10th seed from Ukraine crashed to a 6-2 6-2 quarter-final loss against four-times Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka at the Montreal WTA tournament and later highlighted the abuse directed at her and her family.

Tennis players, like many athletes, often have to deal with the wrath of gamblers online despite the efforts of authorities to tackle the issue with measures that include the blocking of social media accounts. "To all the bettors: I'm a mom before I'm an athlete," Svitolina, 30, wrote in an Instagram st...