And that makes it 17–0!

Two players from the new generation: two firsts for one, two repeats for the other. Marta Kostyuk is entering the history of Ukrainian tennis by becoming the first player from her country to reach the semifinals at Roland-Garros. After Świątek, after Svitolina in an epic quarterfinal on Tuesday, she now has 17 consecutive wins on clay and closed out her match against Svitolina by winning 16 of the last 19 points. Moved to tears, she paid tribute to her elder: "I want to pay tribute to Elina for her impact on Ukrainian tennis and on me, she’s an incredible warrior." Mirra Andreeva swept past Cîrstea 6-0 6-3 in 56 minutes on Tuesday, her most dominant tennis of the fortnight. Unplayable serve, 74% of points won behind her first serve, three games lost. She’s playing her second Roland-Garros semifinal at 19 years old.

The 2026 H2H says what you need to know about the dynamic between the two: Kostyuk leads Andreeva 2–0 this year, without losing a set in either matchup. Those wins came on hard court, but they establish a real mental edge. On clay in 2026, Kostyuk is structurally superior on all offensive indicators: dominance ratio at 1.594 versus 1.342, breakpoints prevail at 2.125 versus 1.667, 47.2% of points won on first-serve return compared to 40.3%, 58.6% of return games won against 41.7%. She creates more, converts more, and breaks serve more effectively in the tightest moments. The 88% at 40–A on return pressure points versus 70% for Andreeva is the number that sums it all up: when it matters most on return, Kostyuk shows up.

Andreeva comes into this match in her best form of the fortnight after the 6-0 6-3 win over Cîrstea. Her baseline defense and court coverage are the weapons that can lengthen rallies and push Kostyuk away from her aggressive game plan. But in this tournament, every time Andreeva has been tested in a tough match, her level has fluctuated, from brilliant against Ferro to labored against Bassols. Kostyuk hasn’t had a grinding, hard-going match in weeks.