07/08/26 04:45:00
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07/08 16:43 CDT Ukraine's Kostyuk extends Wimbledon run as attacks hit Kyiv.
She slams IOC decision on Russia
Ukraine's Kostyuk extends Wimbledon run as attacks hit Kyiv. She slams IOC
decision on Russia
By MATTIAS KARN
Associated Press
LONDON (AP) --- As Marta Kostyuk played on Centre Court at Wimbledon on
Wednesday, her compatriots in Ukraine were dealing with another deadly attack
by Russia on Kyiv.
It's been the same for much of Kostyuk's run to the semifinals.
On Monday, after Russian missiles struck residential buildings close to where
Kostyuk's parents live, she had to block that out to play her fourth-round
match at the Grand Slam tournament. Last week, Russia hammered the Ukrainian
capital with an 11-hour drone and missile attack that killed at least 21
civilians.
For Kostyuk, every day is about finding a way to focus on tennis while not
shutting her eyes to what is going on at home.
"It's not easy to disconnect entirely," Kostyuk said after beating Jasmine
Paolini 6-3, 6-2 to reach the last four at Wimbledon for the first time.
"It was really tough for me last week when the first big attack happened," the
24-year-old Kostyuk continued. "Then on Monday they ruined like four streets of
residential buildings. It was like five kilometers away from where my parents
live. Again, another difficult night and a lot of dead people, innocent people,
kids. It's not easy. I try to be aware of everything that's going on. Of
course, I try for these things not to influence me too much."
The 12th-seeded Kostyuk is in her second straight Grand Slam semifinal after
losing to Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva in the last four at the French Open.
The two did not shake hands before that match, which has become the standard
procedure for meetings between Russian and Ukrainian players since the war
broke out in 2022.
Like in most sports, Russian players have competed as neutrals on the men's and
women's tennis tours since then. But the International Olympic Committee on
Tuesday provisionally lifted its ban on Russia and recommended that individual
sports drop the neutral status for athletes.
The Kremlin on Wednesday welcomed that decision as an "important step" toward
reinstating the rights of Russian athletes.
Kostyuk had a different take.
"My thoughts are that it's terrible," Kostyuk said. "I think it's very, very
far from fair play for all the countries involved here, not just for Ukraine. I
100 percent don't agree with this decision. ... I just want to go out there and
hopefully beat every single Russian I play in the Olympics."
There are no Russian singles players left in the Wimbledon tournament. Kostyuk
will face Linda Noskova of the Czech Republic on Thursday. In the other
semifinal, American Coco Gauff takes on another Czech player, Karolina Muchova.
Kostyuk is the second woman from Ukraine to reach the semifinals at Wimbledon
after Elina Svitolina did it in 2019 and 2023.
Svitolina lost on both occasions. So what would it mean for Ukraine if Kostyuk
becomes the country's first finalist?
"I'm hoping," she said, "it would mean a lot."
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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
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