Marta Kostyuk battles tears, trauma and the fear of a missile attack to reach the second round

French Open: Marta Kostyuk battled through an emotional morning to beat Oksana Selekhmeteva 6-2, 6-3 to reach the second round. Kostyukova said she spent part of the morning crying after a rocket attack destroyed a building near her parents’ home in Ukraine.

Marta Kostyuk defeated Oksana Selechmeteva in the first round of the French Open. Courtesy: Reuters

Marta Kostyuk started her French Open campaign right where she left off in Madrid. On Sunday, May 24, the Ukrainian star needed just one hour and 14 minutes to defeat Oksana Selechmeteva 6-2, 6-3 in the opening round of the women’s singles at Roland Garros. But despite the comfortable win, Kostyuk called it one of the toughest matches of her career.

Earlier on Sunday morning, Kostyuk was shaken after learning that a building just 100 meters from her parents’ home in Ukraine had been destroyed by a rocket. The 22-year-old has consistently spoken out against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and notably refuses to shake hands with Russian and Belarusian players on tour.

French Open Day Update 1

Kostyuk admitted she felt emotional and uncertain before stepping onto the court and revealed she spent part of the morning crying. Despite qualifying for the second round, she said her thoughts and hearts remained with the people of Ukraine.

“I’m incredibly proud of myself today. I think it was one of the hardest matches of my career. This morning, 100 meters from my parents’ house, a shot destroyed the building. It was a very difficult morning. I didn’t know how this match would turn out for me. I didn’t know how I would handle it,” Kostyuk said in an on-court interview.

“I cried for part of the morning. I don’t want to talk about myself today. I’m very pleased to be in the second round, but all my thoughts and all my heart today go to the people of Ukraine. Thank you very much for coming,” Kostyuk added.

KOSTYUK DOMINATES SELEKHMETEV

Kostyuk entered the tournament in hot form after winning the Madrid Open and the Rouen title earlier in the clay season. Seeded 15th in Paris, she immediately took control of the match with aggressive baseline hitting and excellent returning. Selechmeteva struggled on serve throughout the match, committing many double faults and unable to handle Kostjuk’s relentless pressure.

The opening set lasted just 36 minutes and Kostyuk cruised through it 6-2. Although Selechmeteva struggled to fight back in the second set, the Ukrainian kept her composure and broke serve at crucial moments to close out the match comfortably. Kostyuk won nearly 60 percent of her total points played and dominated on the return, converting six of her 13 break points.

Kostyuk’s impressive form has made her one of the dark horses of this year’s French Open. She will next face either Belinda Bencic or Sinja Kraus in the second round.

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Issued by:

sabyasachi chowdhury

Published on:

24 May 2026 16:39 IST

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