Ukraine war looms over French Open women’s semi-finals
Marta Kostyuk beat Elina Svitolina and now faces 19-year-old Mirra Andreeva, with missile strikes in Kyiv turning Roland Garros into a war-shadowed stage.
Marta Kostyuk turned a tense all-Ukrainian quarter-final into a landmark run, beating Elina Svitolina 6-3, 2-6, 6-2 to reach her first French Open semi-final and become the first Ukrainian woman to do so in the Open era at Roland Garros, which began in 1968.
Her next test carried the conflict even deeper into the tournament. Kostyuk will face 19-year-old Russian Mirra Andreeva, who reached her second straight French Open semi-final after also making the last four in 2024. The matchup has put the limits of tennis neutrality on display again, with Russian and Belarusian players competing under neutral flags at the WTA Tour and the Grand Slams while Ukraine’s war with Russia continues to shape every stage of the draw.
The symbolism is impossible to miss for Kostyuk, who learned hours before her match that a Russian missile had struck near her family home in Kyiv. She texted her family to make sure they were safe, then said after the win, “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.” Svitolina, one of the most outspoken Ukrainian voices in the sport, called the situation “very sad” and described the burden of living with daily fear for family and friends.
Kostyuk and Andreeva met a month earlier in the Madrid Open final, where Kostyuk won 6-3, 7-5 for the biggest title of her career. There was no handshake afterward, reflecting the position many Ukrainian players have taken since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022. That history will hang over their French Open meeting as much as any tactical question on clay.
The wider women’s draw only sharpened the geopolitical backdrop. Aryna Sabalenka, the Belarusian world number one, was part of the semi-final picture until Diana Shnaider beat her to reach her first major semi-final. If Kostyuk beats Andreeva, she could meet Shnaider in the final, setting up another possible clash between a Ukrainian player and a Russian opponent while the war rages on.
The pressure around the tournament intensified further as Ukraine endured a large overnight attack involving hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles, killing at least 18 civilians and wounding more than 100 others. For Kostyuk and Svitolina, the match was never just about points and rankings. It was a reminder that at Roland Garros, elite sport could not fully separate itself from the war reshaping lives far beyond the clay.
This article was produced by Prism’s automated news system from verified source data, official records, and press releases, then run through automated quality and moderation checks before publishing. The system is built and supervised by the people who set the standards it runs under. Read our full AI policy.
Know something we missed? Have a correction or additional information?
Submit a Tip
