Marta Kostyuk reached a new milestone at the Mutua Madrid Open on Friday by securing a three-set victory over the 2021 US Open champion, Emma Raducanu. This significant win marks only her second main-draw match win across seven appearances at this tournament.
Prior to this year`s event in the Spanish capital, the Ukrainian player had a modest record of just one win from six career matches in Madrid, coupled with three consecutive second-round exits. However, her determined 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 triumph against the former US Open winner propelled the 24th seed into the third round for the first time. Her next challenge will be against Veronika Kudermetova, with a spot in the last 16 on the line.
Beyond navigating Raducanu`s challenge, Kostyuk also had to contend with physical discomfort. After claiming the first set, she took a medical timeout, seemingly to address a wrist issue. Despite this interruption, she successfully managed any lingering concerns and completed the match, which lasted 2 hours and 17 minutes.
By the Numbers: Key Stats from Kostyuk`s Victory
- 2: This win is Kostyuk`s second victory against Raducanu in three career meetings. It also provides sweet revenge for their last encounter, which, coincidentally, was also a second-round match in Madrid in 2022. In that match, Raducanu decisively won 6-2, 6-1 when she was the tournament`s ninth seed.
- 3: Kostyuk`s progression ensures a strong Ukrainian presence in the third round, with three players from the nation advancing. Joining her is 17th seed Elina Svitolina, who, like Kostyuk, improved her career record in Madrid with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Great Britain`s Sonay Kartal. They are also joined by qualifier Yuliia Starodubtseva, who defeated lucky loser Elisabetta Cocciaretto 7-6(5), 6-4, benefiting from the withdrawal of 12th seed Karolina Muchova due to illness.
- 4: Raducanu fought back in the second set by winning four straight games, and Kostyuk impressively reciprocated this by winning four consecutive games to seal the victory in the deciding set. An interesting pattern across all three sets was the player who eventually won the set would take an early 2-0 lead, see their opponent level the score, and then pull ahead again. In the first set, Raducanu recovered from 3-1 down before Kostyuk won three of the final four games.
- 11: The match saw a total of 11 service breaks. Kostyuk successfully broke Raducanu`s serve on six occasions out of 16 opportunities, while Raducanu converted five of her seven chances to break.
To extend her career-best run at the Madrid Open, Kostyuk will next need to defeat Veronika Kudermetova for the first time in their head-to-head. Their last meeting was in 2021. Kudermetova, a former Top 10 player, advanced to this round after a challenging three-set win over Spanish lucky loser Cristina Bucsa, saving a match point in her 4-6, 7-6(1), 7-5 comeback effort.
Rupert Caldwell