After a good tournament which allowed her to successively dismiss Amanda Anisimova (n°3), Mira Andreeva (n°9) and Jessica Pegula (n°6), Marta Kostyuk was unable to do anything against the power of Aryana Sabalenka, who is in great shape before the Australian Open.
Not too many regrets then, but rather, as soon as the match was lost, the desire to serve as a platform to denounce the war.
“What can I do about it?” »
As she has done since the start of the Russian invasion, the Ukrainian refused to shake hands with her Belarusian opponent during the protocol. She did not have a single word or glance during the trophy ceremony and ignored Sabalenka’s congratulations and kind message. “ What can I do about it?simply reacted the world number one. This is their position (to Ukrainian women). »
On the microphone, Marta Kostyuk let her emotion speak: “ I play every day with a heavy heart. Right now, thousands of people are without electricity and hot water. Outside, it’s minus 20 degrees. My sister sleeps under three blankets because it is so cold in our house. I was deeply touched and happy to see so many Ukrainian flags here this week “, she declared, warmly thanking the public.
