Kostyuk Andreeva Set Up An Emotionally Charged Semifinal

Mumbai: There were contrasting reactions at the end of both the women s singles quarter-finals at Court Philippe-Chatrier in the French Open on Tuesday. Mirra Andreeva got into a good position at the edge of her baseline and struck a powerful inside-out foreha... Mumbai: There were contrasting reactions at the end of both the women’s singles quarter-finals at Court Philippe-Chatrier in the French Open on Tuesday. Mirra Andreeva got into a good position at the edge of her baseline and struck a powerful inside-out forehand winner on match point. The Russian teenager turned to her box, held a double first pump and a broad smile, before walking up to the net to meet her beaten opponent Sorana Cirstea of Romania. This was a calm reaction for a player who has been on this stage before, in 2024. A few hours later, Marta Kostyuk slammed a perfectly placed serve that was too heavy for fellow Ukrainian Elina Svitolina’s feeble connection to return. Kostyuk tossed her racquet aside, overcome by disbelief, before raising her arms. The 23-year-old went down on her haunches, face covered by the hands as she was overcome by emotion. Kostyuk was in tears and was consoled by her courtside interviewer, Marion Bartoli. The contrasting reactions told the tale of the different trajectories Andreeva and Kostyuk have had in their Grand Slam careers. Those journeys now converge as they face-off in the semi-finals. In many ways, it makes for an intriguing match-up. Andreeva, who turned 19 in April, is destined for big things according to many accounts. She has already broken into the top 5 in the world rankings – she is currently world No.7. She has reached at least the quarter-final of all four Slams, although the French Open has been, by far, her most successful Major – a third round finish on debut in 2023, semi-final in 2024 and quarter-final last year. On Tuesday, a determined Andreeva produced a statement win, beating an in-form Cirstea 6-0, 6-3 in 56 minutes to get within touching distance of a first Grand Slam final. “I’m super happy that I’m going to be playing in the semis again. It was one of my best matches so far in this tournament,” Andreeva said at the news conference. “I just found myself being very focused, very aggressive, going for my shots all the time. I was just in the zone.” After Andreeva’s win, Kostyuk stepped on the marquee court at Roland Garros to take on compatriot and seventh seed Svitolina. This was only their third meeting, but it took an hour and 49 minutes of big hitting from both players before 15th seed Kostyuk won 6-3, 2-6, 6-2. It marked a 16th consecutive win for Kostyuk in her unbeaten clay season. A sensational run that included titles at the WTA 250 in Rouen, France, and the win over Andreeva in the final of the WTA 1000 in Madrid. What the triumph on Tuesday also did was take Kostyuk to the semi-final of a