Paris, June 2 (IANS) Marta Kostyuk made history in Ukrainian tennis on Tuesday by defeating her fellow countrywoman Elina Svitolina 6-3, 2-6, 6-2 in the first all-Ukrainian Grand Slam quarterfinal of the Open Era. This win secured her place in her first major semifinal at Roland Garros.

The 23-year-old, seeded 15th in Paris, triumphed over the seventh-seeded Svitolina in one hour and 49 minutes. She finished strong, winning 13 of the last 14 points to clinch her spot in the semifinals. With this victory, Kostyuk extended her impressive clay-court winning streak to 17 matches, having already won titles in Rouen and Madrid this season.

The event held meaning beyond tennis. It came less than 24 hours after a tragic Russian attack across Ukraine that reportedly killed at least 18 people. During an emotional on-court interview, Kostyuk dedicated her historic win to her country. “I want to start with this historic match that we played today with Elina,” Kostyuk said. “We had a very difficult night again in Ukraine, especially in Kyiv. So many people are dead. I want to give this match to the Ukrainian people and to their resilience.”

With this win, Kostyuk became the first Ukrainian woman in the Open Era to reach the Roland Garros semifinals and only the third Ukrainian player to advance to a Grand Slam semifinal, following Elina Svitolina and Dayana Yastremska.

For Svitolina, who is considered the most accomplished Ukrainian player in WTA history, the loss marked a disappointing sixth defeat in Paris quarterfinals, bringing her record to 0-6. Despite a strong 10-2 record against fellow Ukrainians on tour before this match, she could not stop Kostyuk’s momentum.

The match was thrilling. Kostyuk took the first set 6-3, but Svitolina responded by winning the second set 6-2 to level the match. However, the younger player elevated her game in the final set, dominating the closing stages and securing a memorable victory.

This result also improved Kostyuk’s head-to-head record against Svitolina to 2-1. Their rivalry began at the 2018 Australian Open, where a 15-year-old Kostyuk lost to Svitolina in her Grand Slam debut. Since then, Kostyuk has steadily closed the gap, with Tuesday’s win mirroring her earlier 6-2, 2-6, 6-2 victory over Svitolina in Toronto in 2024.

Despite her significant achievement, Kostyuk was quick to recognise Svitolina’s role in Ukrainian tennis. “And of course, I want to point out Elina and her incredible impact on Ukrainian tennis, on Ukrainians and on me,” she said. “Everyone who’s watching, she’s an unbelievable fighter. I’m so happy to be in the semifinals, but I want to thank her again for this incredible match.”

With this victory, Kostyuk ended Svitolina’s 10-match winning streak on clay. She will now face eighth seed Mirra Andreeva in the semifinals, a rematch of this year’s Madrid Open final. Both players are looking for their first Grand Slam final appearance. Kostyuk has won both their meetings this season, defeating Andreeva in Brisbane and Madrid.

–IANS

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