Neither shook hands nor were photographed together, huge tension seen between Russian and Ukrainian players in Paris

The women’s singles semi-finals of the French Open (Roland Garros 2026), one of the most prestigious tournaments in the world of tennis, saw a match on Thursday which is being discussed more for the cold and tense relationships between the players than for the game. Russia’s 19-year-old tennis sensation Mira Andreeva has entered the first Grand Slam final of her career by defeating Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk in straight sets 6-1, 6-3 on the historic Court Philippe-Chatrier in Paris. However, during this historic match, the ongoing bitterness and political tension between the two players was clearly captured on camera, which has given rise to a new debate on social media. The tension of Russia-Ukraine war reached the court, the age-old tradition of Grand Slam was broken. Even before the start of this high-profile semi-final match, the atmosphere of the field had changed a lot. In tennis, there is a tradition of taking a joint photo of both the competing players at the net just before the start of the match, but no such thing happened in this match. Both the star players clearly refused to come into the frame together. Instead, organizers had to take separate photographs of both players with children on either side of the net. This distance was clearly visible even after the match was over. When Mira Andreeva was about to walk forward to shake hands after her spectacular win, Marta Kostyuk greeted the crowd without shaking hands and without even looking at the net, gave them a flying kiss and walked off the court. Let us tell you that Ukrainian player Kostyuk has already openly expressed her opposition to the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, and that is why such tough decisions are often seen on the court between the players of the two countries. 19 year old Russian sensation Mira Andreeva created a stir in Paris, this is how the dice of the opening match turned. If we talk about on-court action and game, then 19 year old Mira Andreeva maintained her dominance from the beginning of the match. However, the first few minutes of the game were not easy for Andreeva. He faced three big break points against Kostyuk in the very first service game of the match and saved them very intelligently. This proved to be the biggest turning point of the match, as Andreeva immediately took control of the first set with very aggressive shots from the baseline. Kostyuk somehow opened his account on the scoreboard after a long struggle, but by then it was too late and the first set was easily won by Andreeva 6-1. Expressing happiness over his victory, Andreeva said, "I am very thrilled to reach my first Grand Slam final. Many types of emotions were surging simultaneously on the court. I just told myself that no matter what happens, I have to fight till the last point and give my best."

Kostyuk tried to make a comeback under the closed roof, but Andreeva broke the 16-match unbeaten streak. When the match started in the afternoon, it was sunny and the roof of the stadium was completely open. But during the second set the weather in Paris changed and the roof of the court had to be closed. Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk benefited from this change. He played brilliantly under the closed roof and broke Andreeva’s serve and brought the score to 4-3, due to which the spectators present in the stadium also cheered Kostyuk a lot. However, Kostyuk’s comeback could not last long. Andreeva immediately took command of the match and launched a powerful counter-attack, breaking Kostyuk’s serve again and winning the match on the first match point. With this defeat, Marta Kostyuk’s winning streak of 16 consecutive matches on clay court also came to an end. Praising her opponent after the match, Andreeva said, "This season has been amazing for Kostyuk. Before this match, she was invincible on clay courts. He is a fantastic player and a very tough opponent." Now in the grand finale to be held on Saturday, Mira Andreeva will have her eyes set on her first Grand Slam trophy.