Catastrophe in Paris: Ukraine's Kostyuk crushed in Roland Garros semifinal
Marta Kostyuk (Photo: Getty Images)
A decisive clash for a place in the women’s singles final of the French Open took place on the main court of the premier clay-court Grand Slam tournament. Ukraine’s second-ranked player and world No. 15 Marta Kostyuk faced world No. 8, "neutral" Mirra Andreeva.
RBC-Ukraine reports on the key moments of the match and the final result of the encounter.
Roland Garros 2026, semifinal
Mirra Andreeva – Marta Kostyuk – 6:1, 6:3
Before the match: head-to-head history
Andreeva entered the tournament ranked 8th in the WTA standings, just behind Ukraine’s top-ranked player, Elina Svitolina. Kostyuk was seven places lower in the rankings. However, the head-to-head record favored the Ukrainian player.
The two had met twice before
Their first encounter came in January this year in Brisbane, Australia, on hard court, where Kostyuk won in straight sets — 7:6, 6:3.
The second match took place in May on clay at the WTA 1000 Madrid final, which also ended in a straight-sets victory for Kostyuk — 6:3, 7:5.
How the match unfolded
The first set went poorly for Marta Kostyuk. Two lost service games allowed her opponent to quickly pull ahead 4–0. Only then did the Ukrainian manage to win her first game — after a very difficult hold in which she saved as many as five break points.
Unfortunately, that game did not change the momentum. Mirra Andreeva held her serve to love and closed out the set with another strong return game against Kostyuk. The result was 6–1 in just 34 minutes — a disastrous start for the Ukrainian, who made too many unforced errors on decisive points.
The second set followed a similar pattern, differing only in details. Kostyuk again lost her serve early, allowing Andreeva to build a comfortable lead (3–0). Only afterward did she manage to hold serve. When Kostyuk broke back and reduced the gap to 3–4, there was hope for a comeback. However, more errors followed, another lost service game, and the match slipped away for good. The final remained within reach, but not this time.
Summary of Kostyuk’s tournament
Marta Kostyuk suffered her first defeat to Andreeva in their three meetings, as well as her first loss in 18 clay-court matches this year. Before the Paris tournament, the Ukrainian had won titles at WTA 250 Rouen and WTA 1000 Madrid.
Kostyuk became the second Ukrainian player to reach a Roland Garros singles semifinal, including both men’s and women’s draws. The first was Andriy Medvedev (1993, 1999).
She also became only the third Ukrainian woman to reach a Grand Slam singles semifinal, after Elina Svitolina (four times) and Dayana Yastremska (once).
Following Roland Garros, Kostyuk is set to achieve a new career-high ranking, moving up to 12th or 13th place in the world.
Earlier, two other Ukrainians also earned a chance to compete at Wimbledon 2026.
