16 victories in a row. These impressive figures are those of Marta Kostyuk (WTA 15). Since the start of the clay court season, the Ukrainian has not lost a single match. Titled in Rouen and Madrid, the 23-year-old crushes everything in her path at Roland-Garros, including the Swiss Viktorija Golubic and the four-time winner of the tournament Iga Swiatek, and is preparing to play the first Grand Slam semi-final of her career.
This dazzling success is the result of preparation in a difficult context. Although officially domiciled in Monaco, Marta Kostyuk remains very attached to Ukraine and regularly returns to her country, more precisely to kyiv. It was in her hometown that she decided to train in April to launch her season on ocher.
On April 3, she published a video on her Instagram account so that her community becomes aware of her reality. In the sequence, the shrill and constant sound of air alert sirens.
She almost lost her sister and her mother
When she is not in Ukraine, Marta Kostyuk very regularly denounces, during press conferences, the horrors that her compatriots are experiencing. And his family.
On the day she entered the French Open, she received a photo from her relatives which showed that the area surrounding her family home had been bombed. “If it had been 100 meters closer, I would probably have no more mother and no more sister today,” she said, very moved, after her victory in the first round.
She also had strong words for her country after qualifying for the semi-finals. “We had another very difficult night in Ukraine, particularly in kyiv. So many people died. I would like to dedicate this match to the Ukrainian people and their resistance.
This Thursday, Marta Kostyuk will look to become the first Ukrainian woman to reach the final of a Grand Slam singles event. Against the… Russian Mirra Andreeva (WTA 8). Enough to have a big dose of additional motivation.
