Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk Reaches French Open Semifinal

Marta Kostyuk made tennis history at the French Open, and her first thought was for the people back home facing another night of fear.

The 23-year-old Ukrainian player reached the semifinals at Roland Garros with a hard-fought victory over compatriot Elina Svitolina. She became the first Ukrainian woman in the Open era to achieve this milestone at the storied clay court tournament.

Kostyuk and Svitolina walked onto court less than 24 hours after a missile and drone attack killed at least 18 people across Ukraine. The weight of that tragedy hung over their historic meeting, which marked the first time two Ukrainian women faced each other in a Grand Slam quarterfinal.

"We had another difficult night in Ukraine, especially in Kyiv where so many people died, so I want to give this match to Ukraine," Kostyuk said through tears after her 6-3, 2-6, 6-2 victory. The crowd at Court Philippe Chatrier responded with a lengthy standing ovation, waving Ukrainian flags as former Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli stepped forward to embrace the young player.

Before the tournament began, Kostyuk showed journalists a photo of flames engulfing a building just 100 meters from her family home after Russian missiles struck Kyiv. She has played this entire French Open with the safety of her loved ones weighing on her mind.

The win extends Kostyuk's remarkable clay court season to 17 consecutive victories. She arrives at the semifinals riding momentum from her Madrid Open title last month, where she celebrated with a backflip on court.

Why This Inspires

Kostyuk represents something bigger than tennis. While carrying the daily anxiety of not knowing if her family and friends are safe, she has channeled her pain into purpose on the world stage.

Her grace in victory showed through when she praised opponent Svitolina as "a legend of Ukrainian tennis" with "incredible impact on tennis, Ukrainians and me." Both players have maintained a policy of not shaking hands with Russian or Belarusian opponents since the invasion began in February 2022.

When asked about Russian players who avoid discussing the war, Kostyuk showed quiet strength. "They are all grown-ups," she said. "They are clearly aware of what's going on. If this is something that they want to avoid talking about, they have to live with this, not me."

Kostyuk joins Svitolina and Dayana Yastremska as only the third Ukrainian woman to reach a Grand Slam semifinal. She'll face Russian player Mirra Andreeva for a spot in Saturday's final, another chance to keep Ukraine visible on tennis's biggest stage.

As for that celebratory backflip she promised? "I will only do it again when I win a final," she said.