Marta Kostyuk fights tears, trauma, missile strike scare to reach French Open Round 2
French Open: Marta Kostyuk battled through an emotional morning to defeat Oksana Selekhmeteva 6-2, 6-3 and reach the second round. Kostyuk said she had spent part of the morning crying after a missile strike destroyed a building near her parents' home in Ukraine.
by Sabyasachi Chowdhury · India TodayIn Short
- Marta Kostyuk said she spent part of the morning crying
- Kostyuk revealed a missile destroyed a building 100 metres from her parents' home
- Marta Kostyuk defeated Oksana Selekhmeteva 6-2, 6-3 on Sunday
Marta Kostyuk began her French Open campaign from exactly where she left off in Madrid. On Sunday, May 24, the Ukrainian star needed just one hour and 14 minutes to beat Oksana Selekhmeteva 6-2, 6-3 in the opening round of the women’s singles at Roland Garros. But despite the comfortable win, Kostyuk described it as one of the toughest matches of her career.
Earlier on Sunday morning, Kostyuk was shaken after learning that a building just 100 metres away from her parents’ home in Ukraine had been destroyed by a missile. The 22-year-old has consistently spoken out against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and has notably refused to shake hands with Russian and Belarusian players on tour.
Kostyuk admitted she felt emotional and uncertain before stepping onto the court, revealing that she had spent part of the morning crying. Despite securing qualification for the second round, she said her thoughts and heart remained with the people of Ukraine.
“I’m incredibly proud of myself today. I think it was one of the most difficult matches of my career. This morning, 100 meters from my parent’s house, a missile destroyed the building. It was a very difficult morning. I didn’t know how this match was going to turn out for me. I didn’t know how I would handle it,” Kostyuk said in the on-court interview.
“I’ve been crying part of the morning. I don’t want to talk about myself today. I’m very pleased to be in the second round, but all of my thoughts and all my heart goes to the people of Ukraine today. Thank you so much for coming out,” Kostyuk added.
KOSTYUK DOMINATES SELEKHMETEVA
Kostyuk came into the tournament in red-hot form after winning the Madrid Open and the Rouen title earlier in the clay season. Seeded 15th in Paris, she immediately took control of the contest with aggressive baseline hitting and excellent returning. Selekhmeteva struggled badly on serve throughout the match, committing multiple double faults and failing to cope with Kostyuk’s relentless pressure.
The opening set lasted only 36 minutes as Kostyuk raced through it 6-2. Although Selekhmeteva tried to fight back in the second set, the Ukrainian maintained her composure and broke serve at crucial moments to close out the match comfortably. Kostyuk won nearly 60 percent of the total points played and dominated on return, converting six of her 13 break-point opportunities.
Kostyuk’s impressive form has made her one of the dark horses at this year’s French Open. She will next face either Katie Volynets or Clara Burel in the second round.
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