Kostyuk, who came into the day ranked 52nd, then held to 6-5 with the help of an underhand serve, before capping a four-game, match-closing run with yet another break. Kostyuk converted it by ending a 16-shot exchange with a forehand volley winner. 1 seed Magda Linette and 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens earlier in the tournament, put another forehand into the net to face a break point. The 88th-ranked Gracheva, who eliminated No. But she wasted that chance to force a third set by pushing a forehand wide. There were only two aces, both by Gracheva, including one that gave her a set point at 5-4, 40-30. Tras ganar el ATX Open de Texas en marzo, Kostyuk también se negó a estrechar la mano de su derrotada rival rusa, Varvara Gracheva. Both won fewer than 50% of points on serve. “Obviously,” said Kostyuk, who was the junior champion at the 2017 Australian Open, “it’s a very special moment.”īoth players were participating in a tour-level title match for the first time, and they combined for 13 breaks of serve-eight by Kostyuk-and 14 double-faults. When Gracheva sailed a forehand long to end the match after one-and-a-half hours on Sunday, Kostyuk-who trailed 5-3 in the second set and saved a set point at 5-4-dropped to her knees at the baseline, put her hands on her face and sobbed. In the final, the eighth seeded Ukrainian will fight against Russian Varvara Gracheva (No. 52 WTA) will continue to fight at the WTA 250 tournament in Austin (Texas, USA). “Being in the position that I am in right now, it’s extremely special to win this title,” Kostyuk said during the trophy ceremony at the inaugural edition of the hard-court tournament in the Texas capital, “and I want to dedicate this title to Ukraine and to all the people that are fighting and dying right now.” Main Sports March 5 Ukrainian tennis player Marta Kostyuk (No. The eighth-seeded Kostyuk and the unseeded Gracheva, a 22-year-old Russian, did not meet at the net for the traditional post-match handshake- Kostyuk has said she will not do so after facing any opponents from Russia, which began its invasion of Ukraine more than a year ago, or Belarus, which helped launch the attack. AUSTIN, Texas-Marta Kostyuk won her first career Women’s Tennis Association title at age 20 by beating Varvara Gracheva, 6-3, 7-5, in the ATX Open final on Sunday, then dedicated the victory to her home country of Ukraine.

Marta kostyuk v varvara gracheva