Ukrainian pride on the line as Kostyuk faces Andreeva

PARIS, June 3 : Ukrainian pride will once again be on the line when Marta Kostyuk faces Russia's Mirra Andreeva in the semi-finals of a wide-open women's draw at Roland Garros on Thursday.

After world number one Aryna Sabalenka crashed out in the quarter-finals, Andreeva, the eighth seed, is now the highest-ranked player left in the tournament.

The other semi-final will be contested by Andreeva's Russian compatriot Diana Shnaider and Polish qualifier Maja Chwalinska.

The third meeting between 15th seed Kostyuk and Andreeva will again unfold against a backdrop of political tension rooted in Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, with no handshake expected at the net either before or after the match.

The war has long cast a shadow over encounters between Ukrainian players and their Russian or Belarusian opponents on the WTA Tour, and Kostyuk has emerged as one of the most outspoken voices on the issue.

Andreeva has declined to discuss it, and while Kostyuk said she would be able to set the issue aside on court, the 23-year-old has criticised Russian players.

“I wish there was some more clear stance on what’s going on, especially when your country is killing other people," Kostyuk, who twice played in Paris this year the morning after Russian air strikes on Kyiv, said.

Kostyuk has won both of their previous meetings this year, including one on clay, each in straight sets.

The second semi-final will feature two left-handed players on a dream run on the Parisian clay.

Poland's Chwalinska is the second qualifier in the professional era that began in 1968 to make it to the last four here while Shnaider fought back from the brink to topple Sabalenka.

After winning eight matches in a row, Chwalinska is running high on confidence, and