With a convincing win over Jasmine Paolini on Wednesday, Marta Kostyuk reaches her second consecutive Grand Slam semi-final and first Wimbledon semi-final.
She has now won 21 of her last 22 WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz matches since April, during which she was arguably the best player in the world.
And now she is one match away from going down in history as the first Ukrainian woman to reach the final of a Grand Slam singles tournament.
After the match, Kostyuk expressed hope that her recent success would inspire and please the people of Ukraine, whom she has tirelessly supported over the past few years in the midst of ongoing attacks. She also thanked her mother and 89-year-old grandfather, to whom she dedicated this semi-final run at Wimbledon.
“I’m so glad I can do this while my grandfather is still alive,” said Kostyuk, who is currently ranked 13th in the PIF WTA rankings. “He is 89 years old. He writes to me after every match, telling me what I need to do better. I mean, he hasn’t done that in the last few games. He was just really proud, telling me how well I was playing.”
“I haven’t received many messages like this from him in my life. I’m really glad they got to witness this.”
Kostyuk noted that she is trying to ignore the news, trying to focus solely on her tennis and the task at hand. But it’s impossible to switch off completely, and she still wants to be aware of what’s going on at home. According to her, earlier this week the attack took place about 5 kilometers from where her parents live.
“I think they sacrificed so much time, energy and themselves for my tennis, for my career,” Kostyuk said of her mother and grandfather. “They still do it. Now they have returned home. I feel like they deserve it as much as I do.”
On Thursday, Kostyuk will play Linda Noskova, a first-time Grand Slam semi-finalist.
Kostyuk had played with Noskova only once before, back in the spring. She beat her in the Madrid quarter-finals 7–6 (1), 6–0 on clay. The winner of this match, regardless of what happens in the final, will be in the Top 10.