Marta Kostyuk described her first-round victory at the French Open as one of the most difficult matches of her career after revealing that a Russian missile had landed close to her parents' house in Kyiv hours before she took to the court. The 23-year-old Ukrainian, seeded 15th in Paris, defeated Oksana Selekhmeteva 6-2, 6-3, but the win was overshadowed by events back home, where reports said four people were killed and around 100 injured in a wave of Russian drone and missile strikes.
Kostyuk, who struggled to hold back tears during her on-court interview, showed a photo in her post-match press conference of the destruction near her family home, where her mother, sister and great aunt live. "This morning, 100 metres away from my parents' house, a missile destroyed the building," she said. "I didn't know how this match was going to turn around for me. I didn't know how I would handle it." She added that most of the morning she felt sick at the thought that if the missile had struck closer, she might not have a mother or sister today.
The match itself carried another reminder of the war, as Selekhmeteva is a Russian-born player who represented Russia throughout her career before switching to Spain on the eve of the tournament. Kostyuk, who has consistently refused to shake hands with Russian-born opponents who have not condemned the invasion, did not do so on this occasion. Reflecting on the ongoing conflict, she said it was exhausting and that people in Ukraine were angry but resilient. "Everyone just wants to keep going," she said.
Kostyuk arrives at Roland Garros in formidable form, having won the WTA 1000 title in Madrid earlier this month and a title in Rouen before that. The victory over Selekhmeteva extends her winning streak to 13 matches, making her one of the in-form players in the draw.
Elsewhere on Sunday, Novak Djokovic recovered from a set down to beat French wildcard Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard 5-7, 7-5, 6-1, 6-4, earning his first win since Indian Wells. The tournament also saw a bizarre plea from French player Arthur Gea, who asked officials to allow him off court for a bathroom break during his defeat to Karen Khachanov, saying on court: "I've got the shits. I need to go to the bathroom, I can't move any more." He was eventually permitted to leave on medical grounds.
