Oleksandra Oliynykova’s dream run at the Transylvania Open keeps getting bigger. But just as the Ukrainian scripted the best week of her career on court, a controversy has erupted off it – one that has now drawn a public rebuke from Ukraine’s tennis authorities.

Oliynykova continued her fairytale run in Cluj-Napoca on Thursday, stunning fourth seed Xinyu Wang 6-4, 6-4 to reach the first WTA semifinal of her career. Playing her maiden WTA Tour main draw at 25, the Ukrainian saved 20 of 22 break points in a gritty two-hour-and-one-minute battle on Center Court. The win marked the highest-ranked victory of her career and is set to propel her roughly 20 places up the rankings, taking her to a new career-high around world No. 71—an astonishing leap from outside the top 290 at this time last year. Yet amid the on-court success, the Ukrainian media has voiced frustration at what it sees as a lack of recognition from the WTA.

In a strongly worded post on social media, the board questioned the tour’s silence around Oliynykova’s breakthrough run. “Here’s the situation. Oleksandra Oliynykova is playing in a WTA main draw for the first time in her career – and she’s already into the semifinals.

“Today, she defeated the world No.33, scoring the highest-ranked win of her career. Now, a simple question: how many posts about her can you find on the WTA Instagram page? Zero. Not one. Let’s repeat that: a player in a WTA semifinal. Three wins in a row. Zero posts. Is this normal? Is this support for Ukrainian players – or even good promotion of women’s tennis at all?”

Oliynykova, a Ukrainian refugee, has already been in the spotlight this season for her firm political stance. She has refused handshakes with Russian and Russia-sympathizing players, a list that notably includes world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka. Her position has drawn both praise and criticism, but she has remained unwavering in her message.

After her first-round (R32) win over Mayar Sherif earlier this week, Oliynykova opened up about the harsh realities of life in Kyiv. In a dramatic 2-hour, 54-minute battle, she edged Sherif 6-7(6), 6-4, 6-4, fighting back from 3-1 down in the deciding set. For Oliynykova, simply reaching Cluj-Napoca felt like a win in itself.

“I live and practice in Kyiv, and because of Russian attacks, we have very big problems with electricity,” she said. “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. So actually it’s a big luck.”

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That stance continued later in the week, when Oliynykova announced she would not take part in the traditional pre-match photo or post-match handshake with Hungary’s Anna Bondar. Her reasoning stemmed from Bondar’s participation in the 2022 North Palmyra Trophies event in St. Petersburg, which was funded by Gazprom. She described the company as a financial pillar of Russia’s war machine, adding she would reconsider her position if Bondar publicly apologized to the Ukrainian people.

The significance of this week runs far deeper than tennis results. Oliynykova fled Ukraine with her family in 2011 after her father criticized then-president Viktor Yanukovych, before returning following the 2014 Revolution of Dignity. Despite the ongoing Russian invasion, she continues to train in Kyiv, embodying resilience both on and off the court.

Nicknamed “Sashka,” the Ukrainian has been building quietly toward this moment. She recently pushed defending champion Madison Keys to a first-set tiebreaker in her Grand Slam debut, and now, in Cluj, she stands on the brink of history – just two wins away from lifting her first WTA trophy.

Whether the WTA chooses to amplify her story, Oliynykova is making sure it’s impossible to ignore. But what did she say after securing her spot in the SF of the 2026 Winners Open?

Ukrainian tennis star Oleksandra Oliynykova reveals how she feels after making a deep run in Cluj-Napoca

Oleksandra Oliynykova’s breakthrough week in Cluj-Napoca has been as emotional as it has been impressive. The Ukrainian tennis star is now just two wins away from her first WTA title at the Transylvania Open, and she’s soaking in every second of it.

Wearing temporary bat tattoos on her face in tribute to the tournament’s spooky theme, the 25-year-old was visibly overwhelmed after sealing her spot in the semifinals. Draped in the Ukrainian flag during her on-court interview, Oliynykova struggled to put her emotions into words.

“I’m so happy,” she said. “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, and to feel so much support. I’m really thankful to all the people here, and I really hope to see you in the semifinals.” Laughing through the moment, she added, “I have so many emotions I forgot how to speak!”

Beyond the tennis, her perspective has been shaped by far bigger realities. Training and living with the uncertainty of war back home in Ukraine has changed how she views her career – and success.

“I’m coming from a country where there is war, and you don’t know what tomorrow is going to bring,” she said. “For me, it’s so important during such hard times in my country; I learned to enjoy every moment, every moment of tennis. In some way, I really celebrate the game. I’m doing this for sport, for tennis.”

That mindset, she believes, has been the key to her rapid rise. Oliynykova admitted she no longer defines her progress solely by wins and losses: “I’m happy to win, of course, and it means a lot, but it’s not the most important thing. I learned to be in the moment, and this is probably how I’m making it during this season and the previous season, which was super successful for me.”

Next up, Oliynykova faces one of the biggest tests of her career – a semifinal clash with former US Open champion Emma Raducanu. Win or lose, her Cluj-Napoca run has already announced her arrival on the WTA stage. Who’s your pick in that epic tennis match?