Marta Kostyuk secured a first-round victory at the French Open under challenging conditions. Before her match began, she learned that a missile nearly struck her parents’ home in Ukraine. Despite this distressing news, she overcame Oksana Selekhmeteva with a score of 6-2, 6-3 on Court Simonne-Mathieu on the clay courts of Roland Garros in Paris.

The 15th seed described the match as one of the toughest in her career. She felt emotional after receiving an early morning message about the missile incident. Knowing how close her family came to tragedy, she shared, “If it was 100 meters closer, I probably wouldn’t have a mom and a sister today.” Her relief was immense, as all 17 family members in the house remained unharmed.

Despite the morning’s turmoil, Kostyuk felt a strong resolve to compete. “I didn’t consider not playing because, at the end of the day, everyone is alive,” she stated. Following her win, she expressed gratitude to the supportive audience, acknowledging the presence of many Ukrainian supporters and friends at the event.

In her next match, Kostyuk will face unseeded American Katie Volynets. Her compatriot, Elina Svitolina, who recently won the Italian Open, will play against Anna Bondar.

Sunday’s opening day also posed challenges due to high temperatures of 33 degrees Celsius (91 Fahrenheit). This heat impacted players, with Frenchman Arthur Gea taking an emergency bathroom break during his match against Karen Khachanov on Court Suzanne-Lenglen. Spectators used folded newspapers for cooling as they watched the action unfold.

Elsewhere, No. 11 seed Belinda Bencic won against Sinja Kraus with a score of 6-2, 6-3 on Court Philippe-Chatrier. The night featured Novak Djokovic playing against Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard. Recently turning 39, Djokovic marked his participation in a men’s record 82nd Grand Slam tournament, surpassing Roger Federer and Feliciano Lopez.

AP Sports Writer Andrew Dampf in Paris provided additional reporting.