Marta Kostyuk says missile struck near parents’ home in Kyiv shortly before French Open win

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PARIS — An emotional Marta Kostyuk said that a missile struck a building close to her parents’ house in Ukraine just hours before she beat Oksana Selekhmeteva at the French Open Sunday.

Kostyuk, the No. 15 seed, described the 6-2, 6-3 win as “one of the most difficult matches of my career” in her on-court interview, following a Russian missile attack on Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, that morning.

“I’m incredibly proud of myself today,” Kostyuk, 23, said. “I think it was one of the most difficult matches of my career. This morning, 100 meters away from my parents’ house, a missile destroyed the building.

“It was a very difficult morning. I didn’t know how this match was going to turn around for me. I didn’t know how I would handle it. I’ve been crying part of the morning.”

Kostyuk trains in her home country a couple of times a year, where her family and many friends live, and has practised with air raids taking place overhead, and drones and explosions audible in the distance.

Her match on Sunday had extra resonance against a Russian player, even if it was announced Sunday that Selekhmeteva had switched nationality to Spanish. After winning the Madrid Open, a WTA 1000 event the rung below the Grand Slams, a few weeks ago, Kostyuk did not mention her Russian opponent Mirra Andreeva in her winning speech.

“When I’m on the stage, and I give a speech, I want to be compassionate with people in Ukraine, who are almost daily being bombarded by Russia and Belarus,” Kostyuk said during an interview earlier this month

“People are dying, people are suffering. It’s a terrible, terrible situation, and in that moment, my heart is with these people, so I just cannot.”

In her on-court interview Sunday, Kostyuk said she didn’t “want to talk about myself.”

“I’m very pleased to be in the second round, but all of my thoughts and all my heart goes to the people of Ukraine today. Thank you so much for coming out. Slava Ukraini (Glory to Ukraine).

“I think it’s important to keep going. My biggest example is Ukrainian people. I woke up in the morning today and I looked at all these people who woke up and kept living their lives, kept helping people who are in need. I knew a lot of Ukrainian flags would be here today and a lot of Ukrainian people would come out and support. My friends from Ukraine came as well. Very happy to have them here. Not much I can say.”

Kostyuk will play either the American Katie Volynets or France’s Clara Burel in the second round Wednesday.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

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