Marta Kostyuk recently fell short against Mirra Andreeva in the semifinals of the 2026 French Open. After the Ukrainian’s defeat, a viral claim stated that the World No.15 has said she will appeal her loss due to Andreeva’s Russian nationality, but the claim is false.
Kostyuk and Andreeva were in action at Roland Garros on Thursday, June 4. While their match was initially expected to be a closely fought encounter, Andreeva took charge of the game the moment they got on court, racing away to a 6-1 win. While Kostyuk found some rhythm in the second set, it was her 19-year-old opponent who eventually walked away with a 6-3 win. After the match, Kostyuk failed to shake hands with the World No.8, as has been the norm for Ukrainian and Russian players for a few years.
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After the match, a viral claim on X stated that Marta Kostyuk was hoping to appeal her loss to Mirra Andreeva over the latter’s Russian identity, writing,
“Marta Kostyuk is reportedly exploring whether losses to Russian opponents are eligible for immediate appeal, following loss to Andreeva: ‘I respect the result. We will be appealing it.’”
While the claim found a large audience, the the post was made by a known parody account and is fake. Kostyuk hasn’t made any such statements regarding her loss to Andreeva.
Marta Kostyuk reflects on her semifinals exit at the French Open
For Marta Kostyuk, her loss against Mirra Andreeva marks her first defeat of the 2026 clay season. The Ukrainian began her time on the surface at the Open de Rouen, which she went on to win, defeating Veronika Podrez in the finals. She then went on to lift the Madrid Open title.
Speaking to media after her French Open exit, Kostyuk said,
“I had enough tough days, bad days, to know that they end. It’s not the worst thing in the world to lose a match wherever the stage is. First time playing semifinals, [Andreeva] obviously had that experience, so next time when I’m in semifinals, maybe I’m going to feel better, different. I don’t know. Obviously not the greatest match from me today. But I don’t think about it that much.”
The 23-year-old went on to heap praise on Andreeva for her ‘solid’ performance, saying,
“She played good today. She played solid. She wasn’t missing. I was missing more. Obviously felt pressure. She was serving much better today. I couldn’t do a lot, because the court is crazy slow, and she was retrieving all the balls. So I felt like I had to go for more. Obviously, that was what was making me make more mistakes. That’s it.”.
Up next, Marta Kostyuk will now return to action at the HSBC Championships. The tournament is scheduled to take place between June 8 and 14 in London.
Edited by Riddhi Acharya
