Daria Kasatkina Rushes to Marta Kostyuk’s Defense Amid Political Criticism After Defeat to Mirra Andreeva at Roland Garros

Mirra Andreeva knocked out Marta Kostyuk to schedule her match against Maja Chwalinska in the French Open final.

Daria Kasatkina Rushes to Marta Kostyuk’s Defense Amid Political Criticism After Defeat to Mirra Andreeva at Roland Garros

Background: Marta Kostyuk (left), Mirra Andreeva (right); In circle: Daria Kasatkina (Image via Tennis 365, BBC, Roland Garros)

Russia’s Mirra Andreeva ended Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk‘s Roland Garros run and also her 17-match winning streak. On Thursday (June 4), the 19-year-old clinched a 6-1, 6-3 win over Kostyuk, progressing to her career’s first Grand Slam final.

And as expected, Kostyuk, because of Ukrainian players’ no-handshake stance since 2022 due to the Russia-Ukraine war, did not participate in the customary handshake. Kostyuk, since the start of this season, has been making emotional statements about how the people back home are dealing with hardships because of the war.

Also, in one of the press conferences at Roland Garros, Kostyuk called out the Russian and Belarusian players for their silence about the war. She said the only Russian-born player with whom she will shake hands is Daria Kasatkina, who last year changed her nationality to Australian. Kostyuk said Kasatkina has not only changed her nationality but has also publicly condemned the war.

So after Kostyuk’s Roland Garros exit, a user asked: “How is Marta Kostyuk doing?” Kasatkina came across the tweet and responded with:

Judging by the last few months, everything’s great with her. And how about you?

Another user accused Kasatkina of not standing up for Andreeva, who can’t do anything about the war, and said not shaking hands and always talking about the war is not helping Ukraine.

Kasatkina replied with: “What does Myrrh have to do with this at all?” The user repeated that, though Andreeva and other Russian and Belarusian players are silent about the whole situation, they have “no influence whatsoever“. In response, Kasatkina wrote:

This post carried no political message whatsoever. I just couldn’t pass by an idiotic comment from a “sports journalist” directed at a female athlete.

Kasatkina, a former World No.8, is not enjoying a good run of form. She also played in the clay-court Major, with Aryna Sabalenka ending her run in the third round.

After a series of early-round exits this year, the only time the 29-year-old reached the quarterfinals was at the Strasbourg Open. The winner of eight singles titles from 19 finals hasn’t yet clinched a trophy since her win over Andreeva in the 2024 Ningbo Open. She also hasn’t yet reached a final since that win.

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Mirra Andreeva on her improvements at the French Open

Before the ongoing event, Mirra Andreeva had featured in just one Grand Slam semifinal. At the 2024 French Open, eventual runner-up Jasmine Paolini knocked her out in straight sets.

Mirra Andreeva (2)
Mirra Andreeva (Image via X/HQ pics)

Then last year as well, the teenager made a deep run in the clay-court Major, losing to home favorite Lois Boisson in the quarterfinals. At the press conference after her latest win, Andreeva talked about the improvements she has made since her semifinal run in 2024.

Two years ago, I was very thrilled just to be in the semifinals. I don’t think I fully believed that I could keep winning matches. That also affected how I played in that semifinal, although Jasmine destroyed me in that match.

Andreeva will be up against Maja Chwalinska, who ended Diana Shnaider‘s run. Chwalinska is aiming to become the first qualifier to win the French Open.

Now, I feel I am a bit more mature and experienced; I can approach matches differently and truly focus on the opponent and the game plan. I definitely feel more experienced than last year, although I still feel like I have a lot to learn through victories and defeats.

Mirra Andreeva added

Andreeva is aiming to win her third Big Title in singles after her win at the Dubai Tennis Championships and the Indian Wells Open last year. Chwalinska, who made her main-draw debut at the Paris Major against Qinwen Zheng, has never tasted success in a tour-level tournament.

Also read: Flavio Cobolli Reveals ‘Crazy’ Rafael Nadal Shower Superstition After Reaching Roland Garros Semifinal