Marta Kostyuk overcomes fear to win French Open 2026 first round after missile strike near parents’ home in Ukraine

Hours before Marta Kostyuk started her French Open 2026 women's singles campaign, a missile strike nearly 100 metres away from her parents home has left the Ukrainian tennis star mentally shaken. Yet the no.15 dished out a splendid 6-2, 6-3 win over Russian Oksana Selekhmeteva to advance into the second round.

Russia launched fresh attacks on Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, leaving four dead and nearly 100 people injured overnight. Kostyuk received a message about the attack at 8 AM local time an couldn't stop thinking what could have happened if the missile fell a bit closer to the house.

Holding her tears back, Kostyuk admitted it was the most difficult matches of her career. “I think it was one of the most difficult matches of my career," the 23-year-old Kostyuk said during the post-match interview on Court Simonne-Mathieu at Roland Garros in western Paris.

“This morning, 100 meters away from my parents’ house, the missile destroyed the building and it was a very difficult morning for me ... I didn’t know how I would handle it, I’ve been crying part of the morning. I don't want to talk about myself today,” she added.

Following the game, Kostyuk didn't even shake hands with her Russian opponent Selekhmeteva, who recently switched allegiance to Spain. Although she travels around the world for tennis the whole year, the Kyiv-born Kostyuk returns home occasionally to train between tournaments.

After her on-court interview, Kostyuk even showed a picture of the missile strike to the reporters from her phone. “I'm very pleased to be in the second round, but all of my thoughts and all my heart goes to the people of Ukraine today. Thank you so much for coming out. Slava Ukraine,” she added.

In the second round, Marta Kostyuk will take on American Katie Volynets, who defeated Frenchwoman Clara Burel 6-3, 6-1.

Marta Kostyuk's refusal to shake hands not new

Kostyuk, who recently won the Madrid Open, had been not shaking hands with her Russian and Belarusian opponents ever since the war began. Earlier, at the 2023 French Open, Kostyuk was booed by the crowd at Roland Garros after she ignored Aryna Sabalenka after a first-round defeat.

After her win over Selekhmeteva, Kostyuk went to the umpire to shake hands and then sat on the bench with the towel covering he face. “I think it's important to keep going,” she said. "My biggest example is Ukrainian people. I woke up and looked at all these people who woke up and kept living their lives, kept helping people who are in need.

“I knew a lot of Ukrainian flags would be here today and a lot of Ukrainian people would come out and support. My friends from Ukraine came as well. I am very happy to have them here. There is not much I can say,” she added.

“I felt sick,” she said. “If it was 100 meters closer, I probably wouldn’t have a mom and a sister today.” Her whole family was in the house, she said, 17 people in total, so her relief was enormous that no one was injured.

“I don’t want to think what I would do if something worse happened, but I knew that this is the day to go out and play,” she said. “It didn’t cross my mind today that I shouldn’t go out, because, you know, at the end of the day, everyone is alive.”