Svitolina and Kostyuk Face Off for Historic Ukrainian Semi-Final Spot
Ukrainian tennis players Elina Svitolina and Marta Kostyuk will meet in the French Open quarter-final on Tuesday, with the winner becoming the first Ukrainian women’s singles semi-finalist at Roland Garros in the professional era. Both players expressed mutual respect and pride in representing their country during wartime. Svitolina, 31, is a four-time major semi-finalist and reached her sixth French Open quarter-final. Kostyuk, 23, has won 15 straight clay-court matches and described Svitolina as a “legend” of Ukrainian tennis. The match marks only the second time two Ukrainians have reached the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam. Former player Anne Keothavong noted the pair are united by something beyond tennis.
What’s reported
Svitolina and Kostyuk will play each other in the French Open quarter-final on Tuesday.
The winner will be the first Ukrainian woman to reach the Roland Garros semi-finals since 1968.
Seven Ukrainian women are ranked in the world top 100.
Kostyuk’s clay-court winning streak is 15 matches.
Kostyuk said Russian missiles narrowly missed her family’s home in Kyiv the night before her first-round match.
This is only the second time two Ukrainians have reached a Grand Slam quarter-final.
Open questions
The article does not specify who will win the quarter-final match or what the final outcome of the tournament will be for either player.
Key figures
Elina Svitolina (Ukrainian tennis player, seventh seed)
Marta Kostyuk (Ukrainian tennis player, ranked 15th)
Anne Keothavong (former British player, commentator for TNT Sports)
Johanna Konta (former British women’s number one)
Sources: BBC News
