Ukrainian tennis star Marta Kostyuk giving Russian Mirra Andreeva the chilly shoulder after her French Open loss on Thursday introduced the battle between their nations again into the general public conscience.
Andreeva beat Kostyuk 6-1, 6-3 at Roland-Garros in Paris, reaching her first Grand Slam final. After the match, her Ukrainian opponent refused to shake palms and take an image. Whereas exiting the courtroom, she blew kisses to the gang.
Some could view this as poor sportsmanship, however it’s extra difficult than that. Kostyuk has been an outspoken critic of the continued Ukraine-Russia conflict, which just lately struck near house.
Ukraine-Russia battle escalated throughout 2026 French Open
Ukraine and Russia have been at conflict since February 2022, and it is not going to finish anytime quickly. Russia launched a missile/drone strike on Tuesday, killing at the very least 22 civilians. That comes after Russia held one other strike from Could 23-24.
That assault destroyed Kostyuk’s house in Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital. Her household survived. She learned of the news earlier than her first match in Paris. In a post-match information convention, she confirmed the injury on her telephone.
“If the [missile] was 100 meters nearer, I in all probability would not have a mother and sister as we speak,” she mentioned (h/t James Sharpe of the Every day Mail).
