Marta Kostyuk’s incredible winning streak on clay came to an end on Thursday, and so did her dream of hoisting this year’s Roland Garros title.
Kostyuk suffered a heavy defeat to Mirra Andreeva in the French Open semifinals, with the Russian dominating in straight sets, 6-1, 6-3, to reach her first Grand Slam final.
Prior to the bout, the Ukrainian was on a 17-match winning streak on clay, having won titles in Rouen and Madrid.
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She had picked up five more wins at Roland Garros, including triumphs over Iga Swiatek and Elina Svitolina.
Following the defeat to Andreeva, Kostyuk stated she now belongs at the top of women’s tennis.
Marta Kostyuk reacts after losing in the French Open semifinals
Speaking in her post-match press conference, Kostyuk said: “If I have got there, probably I belong.
“In tennis it’s one thing to get somewhere, it’s another to stay there. My goal is to be a consistent player and to not get injured because it’s also very difficult to stay healthy.
“It’s just to keep growing and keep becoming a better player and person and that’s it. If my ranking is going to be better it means that I deserve it.
“I made it there. Again, it’s one thing to make it to somewhere but the other thing is to stay there for a long time.”
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Discussing the impact of the winning streak on her, Kostyuk said: “I mean I want to believe it because it’s a big success for me. I think not just for me but if you take any player it’s a great result.
“What I am most happy with is that I first changed and then this streak came. It wasn’t that this streak came and then I changed.
“I already enjoyed playing and I enjoyed being at tournaments before this streak began and now not having the streak any more, I am the same.
“I still enjoy being here and going next week to Queen’s, going to Wimbledon and just keep trying to play tennis and put on a show. That’s it.”
Marta Kostyuk’s ranking increase after French Open run
Kostyuk made a huge improvement in her 2026 French Open semifinal run, having been knocked out in the first round last year.
With her campaign, Kostyuk picked up 770 WTA points, which saw her climb to a career-high ranking of 12th in the world.
In the live rankings, she is on a total of 3157 WTA points and needs just 281 to catch 10th-placed Karolina Muchova.
Kostyuk, still just 23 years of age, has already captured two tour-level titles this year, and will look to continue her form into the grass season.
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