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Kostyuk steers past Svitolina into semis

The world No.15 is the only WTA player unbeaten on clay this season with a 17-0 record

Marta Kostyuk / Quarts de Finale - Simple Dames - Roland-Garros 2026
©Philippe Montigny / FFT
 - Alex Sharp

It was a particularly poignant day on Court Philippe-Chatrier as Marta Kostyuk moved past compatriot Elina Svitolina 6-3, 2-6, 6-2 to book a maiden Grand Slam semifinal on Tuesday.

The pair are friends, title rivals and national sporting icons, and this was the first time in the Open era that two women representing Ukraine had gone head to head in the quarterfinals of a singles major.

Madrid champion Kostyuk arrived on court boosted by a 16-match winning streak on clay, whereas Rome champion Svitolina was riding a wave of 10 consecutive clay-court victories. Something had to give and it was fitting this duel went to a deciding set.

I want to give this match to Ukrainian people and to their resilience

After splitting the first two sets, the decider began with five successive breaks of serve as Kostyuk went into the sitdown with a 3-2 lead.

From that moment the 23-year-old put her foot to the metal to rattle through another three games and into the final four.

As she began to address the crowd, her emotions came to the surface and once she'd composed herself dedicated the victory to her country.

“I want to give this match to Ukrainian people and to their resilience,” Kostyuk said.

“I’m so happy to be through to the semifinals but I want to thank Elina for this incredible match.”

Kostyuk will be back on Thursday when she will meet No.8 seed Mirra Andreeva to vie for a spot in Saturday’s trophy showdown. One of them will reach a major final for the first time in their career.

More to follow...