Tessa Lee, Sports journalist reporting on global leagues since 2021.
Ukrainian tennis star Marta Kostyuk fought back tears after winning her French Open first round match on Sunday, revealing that a missile strike had hit just 100 metres from her parents’ home earlier that morning. The 15th seed defeated Russian born Spaniard Oksana Selekhmeteva 6 2, 6 3 at Roland Garros in Paris despite dealing with the emotional shock of the attack.
Kostyuk said her mother, sister, and great aunt were inside the house during the strike, along with several other people, but no one was injured. The Ukrainian later described the match as one of the most difficult moments of her professional career.
Kostyuk reveals emotional toll before match
Speaking after her victory on Court Simonne Mathieu, Kostyuk explained that she received news of the missile strike early in the morning before heading to the tournament.
“I think it was one of the most difficult matches of my career,” the Ukrainian said.
“This morning, 100 metres away from my parents' house, the missile destroyed the building and it was a very difficult morning for me. I didn't know how I would handle it. I've been crying part of the morning.”
The 23 year old said she received the message around 8am and immediately feared for her family’s safety.
“I felt sick,” Kostyuk said.
“If it was 100m closer, I probably wouldn't have a mum and a sister today.”
Her family members escaped unharmed despite the close proximity of the explosion. Kostyuk later said 17 people had been inside the house at the time of the strike.
The emotional weight of the situation was visible throughout her post match interview as she struggled to contain tears while speaking about Ukraine and its people.
Ukrainian resilience inspires Kostyuk
Despite the distressing news, Kostyuk said she never considered withdrawing from the tournament. Instead, she drew inspiration from the resilience shown daily by people in Ukraine.
“I don't want to think what I would do if something worse happened, but I knew that this is the day to go out and play,” she said.
“It didn't cross my mind today that I shouldn't go out because, you know, at the end of the day, everyone is alive.”
After the match, Kostyuk thanked fans for their support and received a warm ovation from the crowd at Roland Garros. She then became emotional again while explaining what motivated her to compete.
“I think it's important to keep going. My biggest example is Ukrainian people,” she said before briefly pausing in tears.
“I looked at all these people who woke up and kept living their life, kept helping people who are in need.”
“I knew a lot of Ukrainian flags would be here today and a lot of Ukrainian people would come out, support. My friends from Ukraine came as well.”
Kostyuk will next face unseeded American Katie Volynets in the second round. Fellow Ukrainian Elina Svitolina is also in action at the tournament against Anna Bondar.
Extreme heat creates difficult conditions at Roland Garros
Away from Kostyuk’s emotional victory, players across the grounds struggled with intense heat during the opening day of the French Open.
Temperatures climbed to 33 degrees Celsius in Paris, creating difficult conditions for competitors and spectators alike. Fans used newspapers and handheld items to cool themselves while players battled physically demanding conditions on court.
Frenchman Arthur Gea required an emergency bathroom break during his loss to 13th seed Karen Khachanov on Court Suzanne Lenglen.
Canadian Gabriel Diallo retired during his match against Australian James Duckworth after suffering in the heat. Duckworth led 6 3, 4 1 when Diallo ended the contest.
“That's mainly what it was,” Diallo said regarding the conditions.
“It was getting worse and worse.”
Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina also admitted he struggled to adapt after arriving from cooler weather conditions in Hamburg.
“I am coming from Hamburg with 10C it's 22C more,” he said after defeating Damir Dzumhur in five sets.
“I didn't expect that.”
Seeds advance as several stars exit early
The opening day produced several notable results across both the men’s and women’s draws.
Alexander Zverev, the second seed and 2024 finalist, advanced comfortably with a straight sets win over Benjamin Bonzi. Belinda Bencic also progressed after defeating Sinja Kraus.
However, several high profile players exited the tournament early. Former US Open champion Emma Raducanu was eliminated, along with former French Open finalists Sloane Stephens and Sofia Kenin.
American Hailey Baptiste claimed one of the standout wins of the day by defeating 2021 French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova in three sets.
In the men’s draw, Tomas Etcheverry suffered a first round defeat to Nuno Borges, while Jakub Mensik and Joao Fonseca both advanced to the next stage of the tournament.