Marta Kostyuk emotional at Roland Garros

Marta Kostyuk fought through an emotional start to her French Open campaign on Sunday after a missile strike landed near her parents’ home in Ukraine, according to social media posts and tennis coverage tied to her first-round match. Roland Garros said the 15th-seeded Ukrainian beat Oksana Selekhmeteva 6-2 6-3 on May 24 to reach the second round in Paris. The official tournament report described Kostyuk as “emotional” as she opened play at her seventh Roland Garros. The win extended her unbeaten run on clay to 12 matches after titles in Rouen and Madrid earlier this month. ### What set off the reaction in Paris? A social-media post cited in the briefing said Kostyuk’s emotion came after a missile struck near her parents’ home in Ukraine on May 23. The post, from tennis account UniversTennis, was the source referenced in the original card briefing, though the post text was not directly retrievable through X in this search. Additional tennis coverage in Portuguese also reported that Kostyuk became emotional because of a family-related wartime scare during her Roland Garros opener. (rolandgarros.com) Marta Kostyuk has spoken repeatedly in recent months about the strain of competing while family members remain in Ukraine. In an interview published by CLAY earlier this year, she said waking up to explosions and not knowing how close missiles or drones would hit home was a constant source of stress. Yahoo Sports also reported on May 24 that most of her family and friends remain in Ukraine, including her father. (tenisnews.com.br) ### What was happening in Ukraine at the same time? Kyiv and surrounding areas were hit by a large-scale Russian missile and drone attack overnight into May 24, according to the Kyiv Independent. The outlet said Russian forces launched 90 missiles and 600 drones, killing at least two people and injuring more than 80 across the country. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said damage was recorded in every district of the capital, while President Volodymyr Zelensky said three Russian missiles hit a water-supply facility, set a market on fire and damaged residential buildings and schools. (claytenis.com) The timing matters because the attack in Ukraine overlapped with the opening days of Roland Garros in Paris. Kostyuk and fellow Ukrainian player Elina Svitolina have both publicly reacted to recent strikes on Kyiv this month, according to tennis coverage published last week. (kyivindependent.com) ### How did Kostyuk play despite that backdrop? Roland Garros said Kostyuk swept past Selekhmeteva in straight sets, 6-2 6-3, despite faltering when she served for both sets. The tournament said she finished with 20 winners, including 12 from her forehand side. The result sent the world No. 15 into the second round for only the second time in five years at the French Open. (sportskeeda.com) The 23-year-old arrived in Paris in strong form. WTA records list her at No. 15 in the rankings with two singles titles in 2026, and Roland Garros said the Paris opener was her first event since winning the biggest title of her career in Madrid. ### Why has this become part of her public story? Kostyuk has made the war in Ukraine a regular part of her public comments since Russia’s 2022 invasion. (rolandgarros.com) WTA coverage has previously described her staying in close contact with family in Ukraine while traveling on tour, and other recent interviews have shown how often she links her tennis life to events at home. (wtatennis.com) On Sunday in Paris, the immediate tennis consequence was clear. Roland Garros said Kostyuk will next face either Katie Volynets or Clara Burel in the second round as her clay-court winning streak continues. (rolandgarros.com) (wtatennis.com)