Kostyuk and Kasatkina meet again -- and meet at the net

ROME -- Marta Kostyuk and Daria Kasatkina are no strangers to facing off. Their second-round match at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia was their seventh encounter since 2020. But this time, something felt different.

Kasatkina had won their previous three matches, all of which ended without a handshake. In light of the war in Ukraine, Kostyuk and several Ukrainian players have chosen not to shake hands with Russian opponents. But Kasatkina -- a vocal critic of the invasion who also faces persecution in her home country for being openly gay -- began playing under the Australian flag in April.

This was the first time the pair had met since. As Kostyuk converted her sixth match point to defeat the No. 14 seed 6-4, 6-2, there was no hesitation from either player as they walked to net and, with a nod of the head and respectful eye contact, shook hands.

Ahead of the match, Kostyuk had posted an explanatory statement on social media.

"When someone not only tells the truth ... calling Russia the aggressor -- but also acts on it, that deserves respect," she wrote. "Daria Kasatkina has clearly spoken out against the war and made the decision to give up her Russian sports citizenship. That takes courage -- and I acknowledge it."

Afterward, Kostyuk expanded on her reasoning.

"I think she's a very, very good example of finding your way out of a very rough situation that life puts you in," the 22-year-old Kostyuk said. She hasn't spoken to Kasatkina about her nationality switch, describing them as "colleagues" rather than friends, but says she wasn't surprised.

"I thought it had to happen at some point because it was tense. I think she's happier right now. I'm very happy she has taken that step and support that. It's important to acknowledge, so other people have someone to look up to in these things."

The war in Ukraine remains a stress point for Kostyuk, who says that when she reads the news from her homeland, it’s hard to process that she's "actually safe physically." When she returns to Ukraine, she's "mesmerized" by what she sees -- in particular, the indomitable spirit of the people.

"You have shops that don't have glass, because in the night there was a missile attack or a drone attack," she said. "They put wooden covers [on the windows] that say 'We are working, please come in.' There's shattered glass on the floor and people just keep going. It's amazing."

Kostyuk has less time for the political dimension to the war -- what she terms "two men fighting in a room" has less weight to her than the death and destruction that occurs on a daily basis. But picking her words carefully, she criticizes the way in which the discourse has become disconnected from facts.

"Words in the modern society apparently don't mean anything, as we can see in a lot of statements from certain people," she said. "I have my view on these things. But I try not to stress unless something is actually happening. I feel a lot of people stress when something is said."

Actions, rather than words. Those are the foundations of Kostyuk's respect for Kasatkina, shown in her own response in Rome.