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Ukrainian Kostyuk Reaches First Wimbledon Semifinal After Defeating Paolini
Marta Kostyuk advanced to the Wimbledon semifinals on July 8, 2026. She defeated Jasmine Paolini in the quarterfinals and criticized the International Olympic Committee's decision on Russian athletes.
Jul 11, 5:05 PM·1m read1 source
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Ukrainian tennis player Marta Kostyuk reached her first Wimbledon semifinal on July 8, 2026, after defeating Jasmine Paolini in the quarterfinals. ESPN reported that the 12th seed will next face Linda Noskova of Czechia on July 9. " She added that the move was "very, very far from fair play for all the countries involved here, not just for Ukraine" and stated she "100%" disagreed with it.
Kostyuk said she wanted to "beat every single Russian" she faced at the Olympics. The Kremlin welcomed the IOC decision the same day as an "important step" toward restoring the rights of Russian athletes. No Russian singles players remained in the Wimbledon draw as of July 8.
Kostyuk reached the French Open semifinals earlier this year, where she lost to Mirra Andreeva. She is the second Ukrainian woman to reach the Wimbledon semifinals after Elina Svitolina in 2019 and 2023. The other semifinal features American Coco Gauff against Karolina Muchova.
Russian players have competed as neutrals on the tennis tours since the 2022 outbreak of war between Russia and Ukraine. Kostyuk said she tried to stay aware of events at home while competing, including recent Russian missile and drone attacks on Kyiv that struck near her parents' residence.
