Marta Kostyuk Beats Elina Svitolina to Reach Roland Garros Semifinals, Dedicates Win to Ukraine

Marta Kostyuk advanced to the Roland Garros semifinals by beating compatriot Elina Svitolina 6-3, 2-6, 6-2 in an all-Ukrainian quarterfinal on Tuesday.

“Marta Kostyuk accused Russian players of hiding behind silence over the war in Ukraine, saying after four years of conflict they had shown “whose side they are on”, as she reached her first Grand Slam semifinal at the French Open”

Al Jazeera

Kostyuk, the world No. 15, said after the win, “We had a very difficult night again in Ukraine, especially in Kyiv, so many people dead. I want to give this match to Ukrainian people and to their resilience.”

Al Jazeera

The victory made Kostyuk the first Ukrainian woman to reach the French Open semifinals in the Open Era, and it set up a Thursday semifinal against Russia’s Mirra Andreeva.

Andreeva, in the other quarterfinal, stormed into the French Open semifinals with a 6-0 6-3 win over Romanian veteran Sorana Cirstea.

Kostyuk’s clay run continued as she improved her impressive 2026 record on clay to 17-0.

After the quarterfinal, Kostyuk dedicated her win to Ukraine and used the moment to challenge Russian players’ approach to the war.

Kostyuk told reporters, “There is a way if you don’t agree,” and she added that she knows people who left Russia the moment the war began because they “just don’t agree with what their country is doing to other people.”

Bangkok Post

Al Jazeera described her outburst as an accusation that Russian players were hiding behind silence over the war in Ukraine, as she reached her first Grand Slam semifinal at the French Open.

In the same coverage, she said, “After four years, I think they’ve made it very clear whose side they are on.”

Sky Sports also reported that Kostyuk didn’t shake hands at the net then, following protocol for Ukrainians with opponents from Russia and its ally Belarus since the war started four years ago.

With Kostyuk set to face Mirra Andreeva in the semifinal, both players are positioned for a first Grand Slam final, and the match carries the weight of a rematch of the Madrid final.

The Roland-Garros semifinal matchup comes after Kostyuk’s quarterfinal win in 1 hour and 49 minutes, and it follows Andreeva’s 6-0 6-3 quarterfinal over Sorana Cirstea.

Kostyuk’s comments also tied the tournament to the wider conflict, with CNN reporting that at least 18 people were killed in the overnight assault, including six people in Kyiv and 12 others in Dnipro, and that more than 100 people were wounded.

In her on-court interview, Kostyuk said, “I texted my family if they were OK. This is pretty much all I can do,” and she added, “The biggest thing I can do is sit here and talk about it so more people can find out about it so they don’t get used to this terrible life.”

For Svitolina, Sky Sports reported that she said friends in Ukraine told her about the attacks just hours before the match, and she hoped Kostyuk could get the title for Ukraine.