​Marta Kostiuk and Aryna Sabalenko, who were once friends, are now separated by the war in Ukraine, as well as several places in the WTA hierarchy. The gala meeting between the two was the first hosted by the majestic Philippe Chatrier Arena at Roland Garros in 2023.

>> Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk explained why she does not respect Aryna Sabalenko

Aryna Sabalenko defeated Marta Kostyuk, and the audience at Chatrier supported the athlete from Ukraine

The 2023 Ball at Chatrier began with an interesting match, at least in terms of the final statements of the two players.

The war in Ukraine forced Sabalenko (2 WTA) and Kostyuk (39 WTA) to no longer meet, and this meeting had a special degree from the point of view of rivalry.

Throughout the match, they tried as much as possible to avoid even exchanging glances, the cold between them sometimes gave goosebumps in the stands.

If on the court the second favorite of the Grand Slam competition did not necessarily have problems (categorical victory, 6-3, 6-2, after an hour and 11 minutes), then in the stands everything was the opposite: “victory” was on the side of the player from Ukraine.

Small details made all the difference: the crowd cheered loudly for Marty when she won points, there were fans who cheered when Arina double-faulted, and a long sigh from the stands when Kostyuk missed easy points made it clear whose side the crowd was on. Chatrie

Marta, of course, has tennis that is more pleasing to the eye, but inconsistent (sprinkled with great shots, but also mistakes by players outside the world’s top 200). On the other hand, Arina exudes a lot of power, and some of her serves would definitely be difficult to return even on the ATP circuit.

Sabalenka is doing well, she has the confidence of a Grand Slam title won at the Australian Open, she has shots that can make the difference on both forehands and backhands, and the power of her shots definitely gives her time and a real edge over her opponents on the track

It remains to be seen at what level he will be also psychologically, which is actually the “detail” that affects the effectiveness of tennis.

The end of the match brought an awkward moment: after being cheered on by the French fans throughout the match, Marta was loudly booed after refusing to shake Arina’s hand at the end of the argument.

>> PHOTO. 5 years of Simona Halep’s title – How much the world of tennis has changed, but especially the Roland Garros complex