Russian tennis players refused to play against the Ukrainian at Roland Garros, letting her through to the semifinals without a fight

Ukraine's second ranked player Marta Kostiuk and Elena-Gabriela Ruse from Romania easily reached the doubles final of the French Open tennis tournament. Kostiuk and Ruse were supposed to meet Mirra Andreeva and Vera Zvonareva in the quarterfinals of Roland Garros, but the Russians refused to play and withdrew from the tournament.

The Ukrainian-Romanian pair will play for a ticket to the final against the duo of Sara Errani/Jasmine Paolini (Italy, 11th).

For Kostiuk, this will be her second career appearance in the semifinals of a Grand Slam doubles tournament. Last season, Marta and Olena reached this stage at the Australian Open.

It's worth noting that following her performance in the Roland Garros singles tournament, Marta Kostiuk will top the ranking of the best Ukrainian tennis players starting Monday.

The 21-year-old from Kyiv is currently ranked 18th in the online rankings, which could be her new personal best. Only Russians Mirra Andreeva, if she reaches the final, or Varvara Gracheva, if she wins the title, can beat our compatriot.

We would like to remind you that Kostiuk was already the first racket of Ukraine in May 2023. At that time, Marta was ahead of Elina Svitolina, who was just returning to tennis after giving birth to a child.

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