Marta Kostyuk reaches Roland‑Garros semifinal

Marta Kostyuk reached her first Grand Slam semifinal on Tuesday with a 6-3, 2-6, 6-2 win over fellow Ukrainian Elina Svitolina at Roland-Garros. The quarterfinal on Court Philippe-Chatrier was the first time in the Open era that two Ukrainian women had met in the last eight of a singles major. The 23-year-old Kostyuk also became the first Ukrainian woman to reach the Roland-Garros semifinals in the Open era. The official Roland-Garros site said she is now 17-0 on clay this season. ### Why was this match bigger than a normal quarterfinal? Tuesday’s match carried national weight before a ball was struck. Roland-Garros said it was the first Open-era major quarterfinal between two women representing Ukraine. Both players arrived in Paris after strong clay-court runs, with Kostyuk on a 16-match streak entering the contest and Svitolina on a 10-match clay winning run. (rolandgarros.com) Paris also staged the match a day after another deadly night in Ukraine. In her on-court remarks, Kostyuk referred directly to events back home and framed the win in those terms. ### How did Kostyuk win it? The scoreline was 6-3, 2-6, 6-2 in 1 hour 49 minutes, according to the official match page. (rolandgarros.com) Kostyuk took the opening set, dropped the second, and then came through a chaotic decider that began with five straight service breaks. Roland-Garros said Kostyuk led 3-2 at the changeover in the third set and then won the final three games to pull clear. (rolandgarros.com) The official tournament report described that closing stretch as the passage that sent her into the final four of a major for the first time. ### What did Kostyuk say afterward? (rolandgarros.com) Kostyuk fought back tears in her on-court interview after the match. “I want to start with this historical match with Elina,” she said, according to the Roland-Garros report. “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.” (rolandgarros.com) She also praised Svitolina by name after the match. Kostyuk said Svitolina’s impact on Ukrainian tennis and on Ukrainians had been “incredible,” and thanked her for the match, according to Roland-Garros. ### Where does this leave Svitolina? Svitolina’s loss ended another deep run in Paris without a first Roland-Garros semifinal. (rolandgarros.com) Yahoo Sports reported that it was her sixth defeat in a French Open quarterfinal. The result also denied Svitolina another milestone in a tournament where she has repeatedly reached the second week. On Tuesday, the official score page listed her as the No. 7 seed and confirmed the defeat in three sets. ### What is next for Kostyuk in Paris? Kostyuk’s next opponent is Mirra Andreeva. (sports.yahoo.com) Roland-Garros said on Wednesday that Kostyuk will return on Thursday to face the 19-year-old Russian for a place in the final. The semifinal will follow Kostyuk’s breakthrough win over Svitolina and her unbeaten clay run into Paris. (rolandgarros.com) Roland-Garros said Andreeva reached the last four by beating Sorana Cirstea 6-0, 6-3 earlier on Tuesday. (rolandgarros.com)