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18 hours ago
6
Marta Kostyuk took an enormous step towards fulfilling her potential as the Ukrainian closed out an incredible week by winning the biggest title of her career at the Madrid Open, defeating Mirra Andreeva, of Russia, 6-3, 7-5. Although Kostyuk’s run through a WTA 1000 draw was unexpected, this did not come out of nowhere. Kostyuk won her second career WTA event in Rouen just before Madrid and has now put together an 11-match winning streak to rise to a career-high world ranking of 15.
This result has been a long time coming. Now 23, she broke through as a 15-year-old, reaching the third round of the Australian Open as a qualifier. She is one of the best athletes on the tour, blessed with a varied and well-rounded game.
Many believed she would quickly rise up the rankings as a teenager, but she did not possess the emotional maturity and court sense to convert her potential into sustained success. Her triumph in Rouen, a small WTA 250 event, seems to have changed everything.
She extended her winning streak here with some excellent play over the past two weeks, including a rapid straight-sets win over the No 5 seed, Jessica Pegula, in round three.
Kostyuk burst into the match relentlessly attacking with her forehand, dictating most of points and soaking up Andreeva’s first strike with her resourceful defensive skills. Her baseline dominance quickly yielded a 6-3, 1-0 lead with an early break in set two.
Success has rarely been straightforward for Kostyuk, who has been prone to losing her composure. Her predictable nervous wobble arrived and she lost three games in a row, dumping an easy overhead smash into the bottom of the net to hand over the break to Andreeva. She then faced two set points on her serve at 4-5.
In the past, either of those scenarios could have turned into a full-blown crisis. This time, the improved version of Kostyuk composed herself, re-established herself on top of the baseline and closed out a victory that may prove a launchpad for continued success.
