Ukrainian tennis star Marta Kostyuk delivered a commanding 6-2, 6-3 victory over Oksana Selekhmeteva during Sunday’s opening round at the French Open, demonstrating remarkable composure after learning of a devastating missile attack that occurred near her family’s residence earlier that day.
The 23-year-old athlete, who has claimed titles at Rouen and Madrid, continued her impressive clay court performance this season, now boasting 12 consecutive victories. However, she revealed that the triumph was clouded by troubling news from her homeland regarding a missile impact close to her parents’ dwelling in Ukraine on Sunday morning.
“I’m incredibly proud of myself today,” an emotional Kostyuk said during her on-court interview.
“I think it was one of the most difficult matches of my career. This morning, 100 metres away from my parents’ house, a missile destroyed a building. It was a very difficult morning for me.”
“I didn’t know how this match would turn out. I didn’t know how I’d handle it.”
Since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine began, Kostyuk has emerged as one of tennis’s most outspoken critics of the ongoing conflict.
Her first-round adversary Selekhmeteva, who holds the tournament’s 15th seed, was originally from Russia but changed her national representation to Spain prior to competing at Roland Garros.
