Ukraine’s Kostyuk blasts Russia stars in French Open outburst over war

Key Takeaways

• Marta Kostyuk accused Russian players of hiding behind silence over the war in Ukraine, saying after ⁠four years of conflict they had shown “whose side they are on”, as she reached her first Grand Slam semifinal at the French Open.
• The 23-year-old beat fellow Ukrainian Elina Svitolina 6-3 ⁠2-6 6-2 in an emotional quarterfinal on Tuesday, played hours after another night of Russian strikes on Kyiv, then launched a scathing attack on Russian players who continue to avoid publicly condemning the war.
• Kostyuk, who will next face Russian Mirra Andreeva, said she no longer accepts the argument that Russian athletes could remain silent because of possible repercussions at home.
• “There is a way if you don’t agree,” Kostyuk told reporters.
• “I know some people who have left Russia the moment the war began, who sold all their business, who left everything behind because they just don’t agree with what their country is doing to other people.” She cited fellow player Daria Kasatkina, who switched her allegiance from Russia to Australia last year, as an example of someone who had publicly spoken out ⁠despite pressure on her family.