"Promoting a killer country". Kostiuk made an address after defeating a Russian woman at the Australian Open

Ukraine's fourth seed Marta Kostiuk was forced to make a statement after the official US Open account posted a Russian flag opposite Maria Timofeeva's name on its social media. Marta defeated Maria in the 1/8 finals of the Australian Open.

On her social media accounts, Kostiuk again raised the issue of the status of a "neutral athlete," which, in fact, does not give anything and does not change anything.

"Today is the 697th day of a full-scale war, and the sports world continues to promote a killer country and a country that uses its athletes as part of its killing propaganda. I call on media representatives, officials, and the sports community to stop using the tennis court to promote the Russian world," Kostiuk wrote.

As OBOZ.UA previously reported, Kostiuk vs. Timofeeva ended with a score of 6:2, 6:1. For the 21-year-old from Kyiv, this was a record achievement in her career. Kostiuk also became the youngest tennis player in Ukraine to reach the quarterfinals of the AO.

It should be noted that before the match, the tennis player from Kyiv refused to take a joint shot with Timofeeva, taking a picture only with the girl who was holding the serve-and-receive draw.

Martha's next opponent is Corey Goff (WTA No. 4). The match is scheduled for the night of January 23.

On January 19, Kostiuk (WTA No. 37) defeated Russia's Elina Avanesyan (WTA No. 74) in the third round of the Australian Open-2024. Marta was inferior during the match, but managed to turn the tide and finish off her "neutral" opponent - 2:6, 6:4, 6:4.

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