Marta Kostyuk remained undefeated on clay this season by opening her Roland Garros campaign Sunday with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Oksana Selekhmeteva.
The No. 15 seed has now won 13 consecutive matches on the surface following title runs in Rouen and Madrid—the latter marking her biggest career triumph–plus a match win in Billie Jean King Cup. Despite the seemingly routine result, Kostyuk’s morning was anything but straightforward as the Ukrainian would reveal in her on-court interview.
“I’m incredibly proud of myself today. I think it was one of the most difficult matches of my career,” she began. “This morning, 100 meters from my parents’ house, the missile destroyed the building. It was a very difficult morning. I didn’t know how this match is gonna turn out for me. I didn’t know how I would handle it. I’ve been crying part of the morning.
“I don’t wanna talk about myself today. 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.”
