Marta Kostyuk defeated fellow Ukrainian Elina Svitolina 6-3, 2-6, 6-2 on June 2 to reach the French Open women’s singles semi-finals [1, 2, 3]. Kostyuk will face 19-year-old Russian Mirra Andreeva in the semi-final after Andreeva beat Romania’s Sorana Cirstea 6-0, 6-3 on the same day [1, 4, 2, 3]. The other semi-final features Belarus’s Aryna Sabalenka against Russia’s Diana Shnaider [1, 4, 2]. Due to the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, now in its fifth year, Belarusian and Russian players compete under neutral flags at the tournament [1, 2].
Kostyuk spoke about the mental toll of playing amid the war, which includes a missile strike near her family home in Kyiv on June 1 [1, 2]. "Tennis is a mental game, but today it was something completely different. I didn’t know how my focus was going to be or if I would even be able to control my thoughts," she said [1]. Elina Svitolina described the situation as "very sad" with "heaviness and pain every single day" not knowing what the future holds for Ukraine [1]. Kostyuk added she hopes by speaking publicly about the war "more people can find out about it and don’t get used to this terrible life" [4].
Andreeva said she tries to block out external issues. "Usually it doesn’t matter to me who I’m playing against, so I’m trying to really focus on the game and on the game plan that I have to use on the court," she said [1]. "It doesn’t matter who I play. I really try to play against the ball that is coming at me," she told another outlet [4].
The semi-final pairing between Kostyuk and Andreeva carries additional tension. Last month, Kostyuk defeated Andreeva in the Madrid Open final where there was no handshake, continuing a boycott stance by Ukrainian players since the war’s start [4].
Controversy surrounded Diana Shnaider after Oleksandra Oliynykova accused her of supporting Russia’s invasion over Shnaider’s participation in a Gazprom-sponsored event in St Petersburg [4]. Other sources report only match results and confirm Shnaider competes under a neutral flag, without explicit claims about her political stance [1, 2, 3].
The French Open semi-finals will continue with Kostyuk facing Andreeva, and Sabalenka playing Shnaider, as the tournament builds toward its final rounds.
