A Ukrainian tennis player refused to play against a 16-year-old Russian opponent amid the ongoing war in her country.
Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk
Marta Kostyuk decided to withdraw from her final match against Russian star Mirra Andreeva at the 2023 Negometal Open de Bourg-de-Peage tournament.
The pair were set to meet in the women’s final of the exhibition event but the world No 39 pulled out just hours before the match was set to start on Sunday, December 17.
Kostyuk had stepped in as a replacement for Donna Vekic, who had withdrawn from the event earlier in the week due to shoulder pain.
Statement from organisers
But Kostyuk would also withdraw, with tournament organisers releasing a statement on Sunday night that read: ‘Due to reasons beyond our will and given the geopolitical context in Ukraine, Marta Kostyuk will not be able to compete in the final of the sixth edition of Negometal Open.’
Three players were scheduled to participate in the women’s tournament, with Kostyuk set to take on the winner of Andreeva’s match against world No. 43 Varvara Gracheva.
It was Andreeva who would book her place in the final.
What then happened to the tournament?
With Kostyuk withdrawing, tournament organisers were forced to find a new opponent for the Russian, with 23-year-old men’s player Yanis Ghazouani Durand, who is ranked No 1145 on the ATP Tour, stepping in to face her.
‘We’ve done our best to activate our network of professional players, but the time is unfortunately too short to find a replacement,’ organisers wrote on Facebook.
Ghazouni would defeat Andreeva 7-5 6-2, with Andreeva, who reached the round of 16 at Wimbledon this year, being presented with the tournament trophy despite the defeat.
