Paris, May 25: Marta Kostyuk secured a straight-sets victory against Oksana Selekhmeteva at Roland Garros on Sunday, winning 6-2, 6-3 in a match that lasted 1 hour and 18 minutes. This win came just hours after she received distressing news of a missile strike near her family home in Kyiv, only 100 meters away.
Given the recent turmoil, playing tennis was secondary for Kostyuk. She learned that the missile landed very close to where her mother, sister, and aunt were located. After a sleepless night in Kyiv, her family spent Sunday at home, grappling with the situation.
Following the match, Kostyuk expressed, “I think this was the first time a missile fell so close to my home, making it one of the most emotional moments for me. Some days are good, and some are bad, but yes, I would say this day was one of the worst in my life.”
Despite appearing calm and composed on the court, she admitted that thoughts of her family often distracted her during the match. “There were many times when I found myself thinking about home again, especially during the morning when I worried that if the missile had fallen just 100 meters further, my mother and sister might not be with me today.”
Kostyuk believes that the 11 AM match start was a blessing, as it gave her little time to process the heartbreaking news. The usual nerves associated with a Grand Slam opener felt trivial compared to her family’s crisis.
The 22-year-old stated, “I feel okay now. Obviously, it was very scary, but you know, this wasn’t the first difficult night, and it won’t be the last. So, we are adjusting to these circumstances.”
Despite the immense pressure, Kostyuk’s performance on clay remains impressive. With this victory, she extended her winning streak on this surface to 12 matches, following her recent title win in Madrid, marking her best performance yet on clay.
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