Ukrainian tennis player Marta Kostiuk made her way to the quarter-finals after defeating Russia's Maria Timofeeva in the Australian Open tournament, Ukrinform reported on Jan. 21.
Kostiuk knocked out Timofeeva, who is competing under a neutral status, with a result of 6:2, 6:1. She had previously beaten another Russian, Elina Avanesyan, in her last match.
“The war is still there. People are still dying every day. I still don’t understand what all these (Russian) players are doing here,” Kostiuk told Fox Sports after beating Avanesyan.
Ukrainian contestants have reportedly refused to shake hands with Russian and Belarusian participants.
Two other Ukrainian players, Elina Svitolina and Daiana Yastremska, made it to the final 16. Kostiuk is the first to make it to the quarter-finals.
She will compete next against Coco Gauff, the current U.S. Open champion for a chance to make it to the semi-finals.
Dinara Khalilova
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