Marta Kostyuk, 20, dedicated the first WTA title of her career in Austin to those who «fight and die» in the Ukraine. On Sunday, Kostyuk of Ukraine defeated Russian tennis player Varvara Gracheva 6-3 7-5 in the final in Austin. After she finished the final, there was no handshake between Kostyuk and Gracheva.
Also, Kostyuk and Gracheva did not pose together with their trophies. “Everyone in the stands and everyone watching, especially in Ukraine, I want to say ‘Slava Ukraini’. To be in the position I’m in right now is extremely special to win this title.
I want to dedicate this title to Ukraine and to all the people who are fighting and dying right now,» Kostyuk said, according to Hindustan Times.
How Kostyuk defeated Gracheva?
In the first set, there wasn’t much consistency on either side when it came to own service games.
In the first five games of the set, a total of five breaks were seen as Kostyuk led 3-2. In the sixth game, the first service hold was seen as Kostyuk opened up a 4-2 lead. After a serve hold, three consecutive service breaks were seen in the remainder of the first set as Kostyuk won the opening set with a score of 6-3.
Early in the second set, Gracheva claimed an early break, but Kostyuk quickly returned it. After blowing an early break, Gracheva managed to break Kostyuk again and eventually opened up a 5-3 lead. On the verge of losing the second set, Kostyuk responded by claiming back-to-back breaks and winning the next four games to complete a straight-set victory.
«Very surreal. I was playing match by match, and I think that’s how you win tournaments, I guess! It’s not so easy to talk about right now, but obviously I’m extremely happy. I’m happy to be healthy.» and happy to play tennis and see the crowd enjoy my game,» Kostyuk said about winning her first WTA title.
