Russia’s Mirra Andreeva reacts in the course of the quarterfinal tennis match against Romania’s Sorana Cirstea on the French Open in Paris, Tuesday, June 2, 2026. (AP Photo)
PARIS — Marta Kostyuk, one of the best player on clay this season and a vocal supporter of Ukraine amid the war with Russia, will play her first major semifinal on the French Open against a Russian.
Kostyuk won an intense all-Ukraine quarterfinal against Elina Svitolina 6-3, 2-6, 6-2 on Tuesday. That arrange Kostyuk against Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva, who thumped Romanian veteran Sorana Cirstea 6-0, 6-3.
In men’s play, 20-year-old Jakub Mensik ended the run of Brazil’s Joao Fonseca with a 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (3) victory.
“It was one among my best performances to this point,” Mensik said.
The 19-year-old Fonseca beat 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic in five sets within the third round after which eliminated two-time runner-up Casper Ruud within the fourth round.
Mensik collapsed to the clay with cramps upon edging Mariano Navone in a fifth-set tiebreaker within the second round and in addition needed five sets to advance within the fourth round against Andrey Rublev.
For a spot in Sunday’s final, Mensik will face second-seeded Alexander Zverev, the 2024 runner-up, who beat rising Spanish player Rafael Jodar 7-6 (3), 6-1, 6-3.
Kostyuk leads Andreeva 2-0 on the tour; the second win within the Madrid final a month ago. Kostyuk didn’t shake hands at the online, following protocol for Ukrainians with opponents from Russia and its ally Belarus because the war began 4 years ago.
“We had a really difficult night again in Ukraine, especially in Kyiv, so many individuals dead,” Kostyuk said. “I need to offer this match to Ukrainian people and to their resilience. Slava Ukraini! (Glory to Ukraine!)”
Russia launched a whole lot of drones and dozens of missiles against Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities overnight, killing not less than 18 civilians and wounding greater than 100 others, authorities said Tuesday.
“I texted my family in the event that they were OK. That is just about all I can
do,” Kostyuk said. “The largest thing I can do is sit here and speak about it so more people can discover about it so that they don’t get used to this terrible life.”
Svitolina said friends in Ukraine told her concerning the attacks just hours before the match.
“Just very sad that all of us have to essentially put up with this heaviness and pain each day, and scared moments not knowing what’s going to bring the following day,” Svitolina said.
She is going to leave Roland Garros to take care of the daughter she has with French tennis player Gael Monfils, but will likely be cheering on Kostyuk.
“Hopefully she will be able to get the title,” Svitolina said. “It’s going to be massive for Ukraine.”
No. 7-seeded Svitolina got off to a slow start but worked her way back, matching No. 15 Kostyuk’s power from the baseline. Kostyuk was higher on the small print within the decider and improved her impressive 2026 record on clay to 17-0.
She’s the primary Ukrainian woman to succeed in the semifinals at Roland Garros within the Open era since 1968. Svitolina has reached the semis at the opposite three Grand Slams but failed for the sixth time to win a French Open quarterfinal.
Andreeva will appear in her second French Open semifinal, two years after the primary. She was asked concerning the challenges of playing a Ukrainian in wartime.
“Well, for me it doesn’t matter who I play,” Andreeva said. “I actually attempt to play against the ball that’s coming at me. Normally it doesn’t matter to me who I’m playing against, so I’m trying to essentially concentrate on the sport and on the sport plan.”
Asked whether she found it frustrating to listen to Russian opponents avoiding the difficulty, Kostyuk said she wished “there was some more clear stance on what’s occurring.”
“Especially when your country is killing other people,” she added. “I don’t understand how you’ll be able to sleep at night peacefully when you already know that this is occurring, and you’ve nothing to say about it.”
After per week of hot weather, rain arrived in Paris and play began and finished under the closed roof of Court Philippe-Chatrier. Competing within the quarterfinals for the primary time in 17 years, Cirstea struggled to search out her rhythm against her 19-year-old rival.
The 36-year-old veteran, playing the ultimate season of her profession, immediately dropped her serve. She didn’t hold serve or win a game until the primary game of the second set. Andreeva’s deep, accurate groundstrokes and charges to the online took a toll on 18th-seeded Cirstea, whose try to come back was shortlived.
“I felt prefer it was one among my best matches to this point this tournament,” Andreeva said. “Super blissful to be back in semis.”