Kostyuk shines during first round of French Open despite tragedy

Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine. Mike Frey-Imagn Images

Marta Kostyuk shines during first round of French Open despite learning of tragedy before match

By Clark Dalton | Last updated May 24, 2026 2:29 PM ET

Ukrainian tennis star Marta Kostyuk received awful news shortly before her opening match at the 2026 French Open on Sunday.

After Kostyuk cruised past Oksana Selekhmeteva 6-2, 6-3 at Roland-Garros in Paris, the world's No. 15-ranked player revealed she learned a Russian missile strike occurred near her parents' home in Kyiv. The aerial attack destroyed the property.

Marta Kostyuk discusses Russian missile strike destroying her parents' home

"I'm incredibly proud of myself today," Kostyuk said while fighting tears in her on-court interview after the match. "I think it was one of the most difficult matches of my career. This morning, 100 meters (328.084 feet) away from my parents' house, a missile destroyed the building.

"It was a very difficult morning for me. I didn't know how this match was going to turn around for me. I didn't know how I would handle it. I don't want to talk about myself today. I'm obviously very pleased to be in the second round, but all my thoughts and all my heart goes to the people of Ukraine today."

Marta Kostyuk gave a moving interview just hours after a missile struck near to her parents' home in Ukraine pic.twitter.com/VBCgGZG1XQ
— TNT Sports (@tntsports) May 24, 2026

Kostyuk spoke more on the tragedy during a post-match news conference, showing a picture of the damage near her family's home.

"I have this pic of my parents' house and everything around it ... this is what I received at 8 a.m. [French time]," she said (h/t Portuguese sports journalist Jose Morgado). "I had to deal with it, go out and play. ... I felt sick just from a thought that if it was a 100m closer, I probably wouldn't have a mom and sister today."

Kostyuk at her presser.

“I have this pic of my parent’s house and everything around it (…) this is what I received at 8am. I had to deal with it, go out and play (…) I felt sick just from a thought that if it was 100m closer, I probably wouldn’t have a mom and a sister today.” pic.twitter.com/W4WNAyjx9i
— José Morgado (@josemorgado) May 24, 2026

Sunday's strike on Ukraine is a part of its ongoing war with Russia. The conflict began in February 2022, and it's not expected to end soon.

The 23-year-old said Sunday was the closest the fighting has been to her home since the conflict began. She messaged her family members but hadn't spoken to them on the phone yet.

Kostyuk will aim to remain sharp for the rest of the Grand Slam, despite the tragedy weighing on her mind. She scored 68 points in Sunday's match, including 18 winners and one ace.

Marta Kostyuk on Clay lately

Extending the longest win streak of her career #RolandGarros | @marta_kostyuk pic.twitter.com/9TBIUtIGmK
— wta (@WTA) May 24, 2026

Her performance extended the longest win streak on clay of Kostyuk's career (13 straight matches). She'll aim to capture her 14th victory on the surface against American Katie Volynets in the second round on Wednesday.

Clark Dalton

Clark Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

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