Ukraine's Kostyuk keeps focus on French Open after missile strike near parents' home

Marta Kostyuk won her first-round match at the French Open, defeating Oksana Selekhmeteva 6-2, 6-3. She said the victory came after Russian missile and drone strikes hit near her parents’ house in Ukraine, where her mother, sister, and great aunt live. Kostyuk described the morning as extremely difficult and said she did not know how she would handle the match or control her emotions and thoughts. During her on-court interview and press conference, she showed a photo of the destruction and explained that she had to live through the impact and then go out to play. She said the match brought another reminder of the war, including because her opponent is Russian-born.

"I'm incredibly proud of myself today, Kostyuk said. I think it was one of the most difficult matches of my career. This morning, 100 metres away from my parents' house [in Ukraine], 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."

"Kostyuk began her post-match press conference by showing a photo from her phone of the destruction close to her family home, where her mother, sister and great aunt live. This is what I received at 8:00 in the morning today, she said. I had to live through it and deal with it and go out and play. I didn't know what to expect from myself."

"I didn't know how my focus is going to be, how I'm going to be able to control my emotions or my thoughts. There were obviously times in the match when I would go in back to thinking about it, because most of the morning I felt sick just for my thought that if it was 100 metres closer, I probably wouldn't have a mom and a sister today."

"According to reports, four people were killed overnight in Kyiv and approximately 100 people were injured in Ukraine after Russian forces launched a significant wave of drone and missile strikes. Kostyuk hails from Kyiv, where she periodically returns to train between tournaments."

Read at www.theguardian.com