Kostyuk dedicates Austin title to 'all the people who are fighting and dying' after defeating Russian opponent in ATX Open final

Marta Kostyuk defeated a Russian opponent in the Austin final to win her maiden trophy and she dedicated it to her people back home who are engaged in a war of survival.

Kostyuk has been an outspoken critic of the tennis community's handling of the Russian invasion of her country. In a strange twist of fate, Kostyuk ended up beating a Russian for her maiden trophy. It was an odd ceremony where the players were separated during photoshoots and didn't really mention each other.

There was also no handshake but Kostyuk made sure to mention the war in her speech:

"Being in the position that I'm in right now, it's extremely special to win this title. I want to dedicate this title to Ukraine and to all the people who are fighting and dying right now."

She also recently commented:

"You cannot act like nothing is happening. It's horrible. It's crazy that so many just normal citizens are suffering, dying. The only thing I hope is that soon there will be peace in every country."