Oleksandra Oliynykova advanced to her first WTA semifinal at the Transylvania Open, defeating Xinyu Wang in a gritty match. The 25-year-old Ukrainian's breakthrough has drawn praise but also rebuke from her national tennis board over the WTA's lack of promotion. Her run highlights both on-court success and off-court challenges tied to the war in Ukraine.
Oleksandra Oliynykova's journey at the Transylvania Open in Cluj-Napoca has captured attention for its blend of athletic achievement and geopolitical tension. On Thursday, the 25-year-old Ukrainian secured a 6-4, 6-4 victory over fourth seed Xinyu Wang, the world No. 33, in a two-hour-and-one-minute match on center court. Saving 20 of 22 break points, Oliynykova notched the highest-ranked win of her career, propelling her from outside the top 290 a year ago to a projected career-high around No. 71.
This marks her debut in a WTA main draw, with three straight wins putting her two victories from a first title. Earlier, she overcame Mayar Sherif 6-7(6), 6-4, 6-4 in a nearly three-hour first-round battle, rallying from 3-1 down in the decider. Oliynykova, who trains in Kyiv amid Russian attacks, described travel woes: "Two hours before my train, because I live on the 20th floor, I’m entering the lift and electricity just turns off. In the end, I was just 10 minutes before my train left."
Off the court, Oliynykova has taken a firm stance against players from or sympathetic to Russia, refusing handshakes with Aryna Sabalenka and skipping a photo and handshake with Anna Bondar over the latter's involvement in a Gazprom-funded event in 2022. She fled Ukraine with her family in 2011 after her father's criticism of then-president Viktor Yanukovych, returning after the 2014 Revolution of Dignity.
The Ukrainian Tennis Board expressed frustration with the WTA's silence. In a social media post, it questioned: "How many posts about her can you find on the WTA Instagram page? Zero. Not one. ... Is this support for Ukrainian players – or even good promotion of women’s tennis at all?"
Post-match, draped in her flag, Oliynykova shared her emotions: "I’m so happy. For me now, it’s hard to describe what I feel. But for me, it’s so important to be here, to play for my country." Facing Emma Raducanu in the semifinals, she emphasized resilience: "I’m coming from a country where there is war, and you don’t know what tomorrow is going to bring. ... I learned to enjoy every moment."
Her story, including a recent push against Madison Keys in a Grand Slam debut, underscores determination amid adversity.