PARIS (AP) — Marta Kostyuk’s first-round win at the French Open became one of her toughest matches after she found out beforehand that a missile almost hit her parents' home in Ukraine.
Kostyuk fought back tears after beating Oksana Selekhmeteva 6-2, 6-3 on Court Simonne-Mathieu on the opening day of the clay-court Grand Slam at Roland Garros in western Paris.
“I think it was one of the most difficult matches of my career," the 15th-seeded Kostyuk said.
“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.”
She received a message at 8 a.m. and could not stop thinking what could have happened.
“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.”
After the match, she thanked fans and received an ovation. Then she explained how she found the emotional and mental resources to play.
“I think it’s important to keep going. My biggest example is Ukrainian people, I woke up in the morning today and,” the 23-year-old Kostyuk said, becoming tearful before repeating and finishing the sentence.
“I looked at all these people who woke up and kept living their life, kept helping people who are in need,” she said. "I knew a lot of Ukrainian flags would be here today and a lot of Ukrainian people would come out, support. My friends from Ukraine came as well.”
When Kostyuk first served for the match at 5-1 she got broken. But she served it out on her next opportunity and waved to fans in the upper deck holding up a Ukraine flag.
She next plays unseeded American Katie Volynets and Kostyuk's countrywoman Elina Svitolina — a recent winner at the Italian Open in Rome — faces Anna Bondar on Monday.
Sunday's opening day saw players coping with high temperatures of 33 degrees Celsius (91 Fahrenheit) — with the intense heat contributing to Frenchman Arthur Gea taking an emergency bathroom break early into his first-round loss to No. 13 Karen Khachanov on Court Suzanne-Lenglen.
Spectators folded newspapers in half and fanned themselves to keep cool as players on court attempted to stay hydrated.
The opening match on Court Philippe-Chatrier saw No. 11 Belinda Bencic beating Sinja Kraus 6-2, 6-3.
The night match on Chatrier features three-time champion Novak Djokovic against Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.
Two days after his 39th birthday, Djokovic will play a men’s record 82nd Grand Slam tournament — one more than Roger Federer and Feliciano Lopez.
___
AP Sports Writer Andrew Dampf in Paris contributed to this report.
___
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
