© Getty Images Sport – Sean M. Haffey
Marta Kostyuk teared up remembering Ukraine following her San Diego Open runner-up finish as the Ukrainian tennis player acknowledged the last couple of days were pretty tough for Ukraine.
Last week, 21-year-old Kostyuk came close to winning her second WTA title after making the final at a WTA 500 tournament in San Diego. After making a good start to the San Diego final and going up by a set, Kostyuk’s level dropped as Katie Boulter came back to beat the Ukrainian 5-7 6-2 6-2.
Last week, Russia intensified attacks on Ukraine. On Friday a Russian drone hit an apartment block in Odesa, which left 12 killed, of which five were children, and many more injured.
Following her big San Diego run, one of the first things Kostyuk was to remember Ukraine. During her speech, Kostyuk got very emotional several times and fought back tears. Boulter and the crowd were very understanding of the situation, applauding in the support of Kostyuk during her speech.
“First of all everyone in the stands, everyone watching on TV… Slava Ukraini (Glory to Ukraine),” Kostyuk started during her on-court speech.
“I don’t want to make it too sad, I want to say thank you to my family back home….
