Paris: Marta Kostyuk will play Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva for a place in the women’s French Open final.
Kostyuk held her nerve to withstand a comeback from compatriot Elina Svitolina in the first all-Ukrainian women’s quarterfinal at a Grand Slam in the Open era, winning 6-3, 2-6, 6-2 on Tuesday.
The 23-year-old Kostyuk extended her unbeaten run on clay this season to 17 matches to reach her first Grand Slam semifinal.
“I’m very happy I found a way. It was very difficult in the first two sets,” said Kostyuk, who again dedicated her victory to the people of Ukraine.
The country was hit by hundreds of Russian drones and dozens of missiles early Tuesday, killing at least 18 people.
“We had another difficult night in Ukraine, especially in Kyiv where so many people died, so I want to give this match to Ukraine,” said Kostyuk.
Svitolina, 31, fell at the quarterfinal stage at Roland Garros for the sixth time. It is the only Major where she has not reached the last four.
Mirra Andreeva outclassed Sorana Cirstea 6-0, 6-3 to book her spot in the semifinals. The Russian eighth seed needed just under an hour on Court Philippe Chatrier to reach the last four at Roland Garros for the second time in three years.
The crushing win brought to an end a fairytale run for 36-year-old Cirstea, who will retire at the end of the season. The in-form Romanian reached the quarterfinals in Paris for the first time since 2009.
“I knew that this match wouldn’t be easy and I’d have to put 200 percent of my focus to win,” Andreeva said. “I’m super happy I was able to do it and tried to play aggressive throughout the whole match.” Agencies
Also Read: Andrew Flintoff named Sydney Thunder head coach in landmark BBL appointment