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Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk found herself in the middle of a controversy when she refused to play against Russian youngster Mirra Andreeva in an exhibition event in France on Sunday, December 17.
The incident occurred at the Negometal Open de Bourge-de-Peage, which began on Friday, December 15. The event featured Alex de Minaur, Adrian Mannarino, David Goffin and Lucas Pouille in the men's draw, and Mirra Andreeva, Varvara Gracheva and Donna Vekic in the women's.
Vekic withdrew from the tournament due to a shoulder injury and was replaced by Marta Kostyuk. Mirra Andreeva then bettered Varvara Gracheva in the semifinals to enter the title contest against Kostyuk.
However, minutes before the final match, the tournament organizers announced that Kostyuk had declined to play against Andreeva amid the geopolitical tensions stemming from the Russia-Ukraine war.
Journalist Xavier Coffin shared more details about what transpired in Bourg-de-Peage via a thread on social media platform X. He said that after Vekic's withdrawal, the organizers struggled to find a replacement and finally got a positive response from Kostyuk.
The Ukrainian was informed that there was a strong possibility that she would face Andreeva, and she still reportedly agreed to take part. Her only condition, as per Coffin, was that she would not shake hands with the Russian, which has become a practice on WTA Tour ever since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
After Andreeva defeated Gracheva, news of Kostyuk facing a Russian player spread in Ukraine, especially on social media. This allegedly sparked backlash and created pressure on Kostyuk from networks in her country, forcing her to bow out just three hours before the final.
The organizers had a hard time finding another player to fill in for Kostyuk. Ultimately, local player and ATP World No. 1146 Yannis Ghazouani Durand was chosen to play against Andreeva in a mixed singles match.
Durand won the final 7-5, 6-2, but Andreeva was awarded the trophy from the women's competition.
As for Marta Kostyuk, she interacted with kids, clicked pictures and signed autographs at the exhibition. She also apologized to the organizers and hoped that the pressure on her would calm down in Ukraine.
The organizers were compassionate about Kostyuk's situation and did not blame her for what transpired.
You can read Xavier Coffin's X thread below:
Marta Kostyuk won her maiden WTA Tour title in 2023
2023 was a breakthrough year for Marta Kostyuk as she lifted her first title on the WTA Tour. In March, the 21-year-old achieved the milestone at the ATX Open in Austin, Texas. Kostyuk was seeded No. 8 and dropped only one set en route to the title.
Kostyuk bettered Dalma Galfi, Madison Brengle, Anna-Lena Friedsam, Danielle Collins, and Varvara Gracheva to win the WTA 250 tournament. As a result, she climbed to her highest career ranking of World No. 27.
The Ukrainian's other big performance of 2023 includes quarterfinal appearances at the WTA 500 Citi Open in Washington DC and Adelaide International 1. Marta Kostyuk ended 2023 at World No. 33.
