In the first all-Ukrainian Grand Slam derby, Marta Kostiuk (#15 WTA) defeated Elina Svitolina (#7 WTA) 6–3, 2–6, 6–2. This marks a historic milestone for both Kostiuk and Ukraine, as she secures her first-ever semifinal appearance in the women’s singles draw at Roland-Garros
Ahead of the match, both players spoke highly of each other’s game and emphasized the significance of this matchup for Ukraine.
‘Marta is definitely playing very well right now. I think it’s going to be an exciting battle for Ukraine, and one Ukrainian player is guaranteed to reach the semifinals. Honestly, I think that’s really cool. It’s never happened before, so it’s a truly special and exciting moment’, Svitolina said.
‘She has paved the way for many Ukrainian boys and girls. And she’s playing incredibly well right now. Especially this year — she’s been amazing. I’m really looking forward to this match. We already played each other two years ago, so I roughly know what to expect. I think it will be a very good showdown’, Kostiuk added.
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In her post-match interview, Marta once again praised Svitolina’s performance, addressed the massive Russian missile attack that took place on the night before the match, and dedicated the victory to the Ukrainian people:
‘I want to start with this historical match that we played today with Elina. We had a very difficult night in Ukraine, especially in Kyiv, so many people have died. I want to give this match to the Ukrainian people and their resilience. Glory to Ukraine. I want to acknowledge Elina and her incredible influence on Ukrainian tennis. She is an incredible inspiration to all of us’.
Marta Kostyuk after reaching Roland Garros semifinals:
“We played historical match today with Elina. We had very difficult night again in Ukraine, especially Kyiv. So many people dead. I want to give this match to Ukrainian people and their resilience. Thank you. Slava Ukraini!… pic.twitter.com/id5OdmV8iC
— Kate from Kharkiv (@BohuslavskaKate) June 2, 2026
As a result of the match, Elina Svitolina will drop to No. 8 in the WTA rankings, while Marta Kostiuk will climb to No. 12 — the highest ranking of her career.
How the two players reached this stage at Roland-Garros
For Kostiuk, this was the first Roland-Garros quarterfinal of her career, while for Svitolina it was her sixth.
During the tournament, Marta defeated ‘neutral’ player Oksana Selekhmeteva (6–2, 6–3), American Katie Volynets (6–7, 6–3, 6–3), Switzerland’s Viktorija Golubic (6–4, 6–3), and world No. 3 and four-time Roland-Garros champion Iga Świątek (7–5, 6–1).
Meanwhile, Svitolina defeated Hungary’s Anna Bondár (3-6, 6-1, 7-6), Spain’s Kaitlin Quevedo (6-0, 6-4), Germany’s Tamara Korpatsch (6-2, 6-3), and Switzerland’s world No. 11 Belinda Bencic.
Kostiuk’s next opponent will be world No. 8, Russia’s Mirra Andreeva. The match will take place on Thursday, June 4.
