Shnaider Defeats Oliynykova 7-5, 6-1 in French Open Third Round

Oleksandra Oliynykova lost to Diana Shnaider 7-5, 6-1 in the third round of the French Open on May 30, 2026. The match took place in Paris. Before answering questions at her post-match news conference, Oliynykova read a prepared statement.

"I know that some people disagree with my actions. I know that some people would prefer that I stay silent. But what I do is not about politics, it's about humanity," she said. "When people are being killed, while children are dying, when violence is justified or celebrated, we cannot pretend that nothing is happening.

She had made critical comments about Shnaider two days earlier, accusing her of liking Russian propaganda posts on social media and playing in a Gazprom-sponsored exhibition tournament in Russia. " Shnaider, the No. 25 seed, said after the match that she had not been aware of the comments.

"I don't know anything about what she said," Shnaider stated. " Regarding the Gazprom event, Shnaider said: "I'm traveling all year round. I'm not seeing my family or my friends. " Oliynykova said she has no choice but to continue speaking out.

"This war, it defines my life, because my future is in Ukraine," she said. "My father, he's coming back to the army. " After her first-round win, Marta Kostyuk fought back tears when she described how she found out on the morning of the match that a missile almost hit her parents' home in Ukraine.

Kostyuk said she was feeling exhausted after speaking out against the war for so long but would continue stating her opinion.