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 arms and take an image. Whereas exiting the courtroom, she blew kisses to the group.
Some might view this as poor sportsmanship, but it surely’s extra sophisticated than that. Kostyuk has been an outspoken critic of the continued Ukraine-Russia struggle, which lately struck near residence.
Ukraine-Russia battle escalated throughout 2026 French Open
Ukraine and Russia have been at struggle since February 2022, and it isn’t going to finish anytime quickly. Russia launched a missile/drone strike on Tuesday, killing no less than 22 civilians. That comes after Russia held one other strike from Might 23-24.
That assault destroyed Kostyuk’s residence 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 most likely would not have a mother and sister right this moment,” she mentioned (h/t James Sharpe of the Every day Mail).
