The 2026 edition of Roland Garros will have a women's semifinal marked by both sports and the international context. The Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk, one of the most outstanding players of the season on clay, advanced for the first time to a Grand Slam semifinal and will face the Russian Mirra Andreeva, who sealed her qualification after a resounding victory in the quarterfinals of the Parisian tournament.

Kostyuk obtained her pass after beating her compatriot Elina Svitolina 6-3, 2-6 and 6-2 in a duel between Ukrainian tennis players. Hours later, Andreeva, 19, eliminated the Romanian Sorana Cirstea with sets of 6-0 and 6-3 to ensure her presence among the four best in the competition. The confrontation takes on an additional dimension due to the war between Russia and Ukraine, an issue that has accompanied the women's circuit since the beginning of the conflict four years ago.

Kostyuk herself once again referred to the situation her country is going through after finishing her match. The tennis player explained that the previous night was marked by new attacks on Ukrainian territory and dedicated her victory to her compatriots.

“We had a very difficult night again in Ukraine, especially in kyiv, with many people dead,” he declared. "I want to dedicate this match to the Ukrainian people and their resistance. Slava Ukraini! (Glory to Ukraine!)."

According to the authorities cited in the information provided, Russia launched hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles against kyiv and other Ukrainian cities during the night, causing at least 18 deaths and more than a hundred injuries.

A confrontation that transcends the field

The Ukrainian player revealed that, before going out on the court, she contacted family members to find out her situation after the attacks.

"I wrote to my family to see if they were okay. That's pretty much all I can do," he said. “The most important thing I can do is sit here and talk about it so that more people know about it and don't get used to this terrible life.”

Svitolina also made reference to the events that occurred in Ukraine and assured that she received news from friends a few hours before playing the match. “It is very sad that we all have to live with this burden and this pain every day, and with the fear of not knowing what the next day will bring,” he said.

After the elimination, Svitolina indicated that she will leave Paris to reunite with the daughter she has with French tennis player Gael Monfils, although she stated that she will continue supporting Kostyuk in the tournament. "I hope I can win the title. It would be huge for Ukraine," he said.

On a strictly sporting level, Kostyuk has an advantage in direct confrontations against Andreeva. The Ukrainian dominates the series 2-0 and achieved the most recent of those victories during the final in Madrid played a month ago. As has happened in other matches between Ukrainian players and Russian or Belarusian rivals since the start of the war, there was no greeting on the network at the end of that match.

Andreeva, for her part, will play her second semifinal at Roland Garros. Asked about facing a Ukrainian rival in the middle of the conflict, she downplayed the political aspect and assured that her attention is focused solely on tennis.

“Well, for me it doesn't matter who I play against,” he said. "I really try to play against the ball that's coming at me. I usually don't care who's on the other side of the net, so I try to focus on the game and the game plan."

Kostyuk was also asked about the position of some Russian players regarding the war. “I wish there was a clearer position on what is happening,” he said. "Especially when your country is killing other people. I don't know how you can sleep peacefully at night knowing this is happening and not have anything to say about it."