(Austin) Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk, 52e world player, won her first title on the WTA circuit on Sunday in Austin, which she immediately dedicated to her country and to the victims of the conflict which has been raging there for more than a year.
Kostyuk, 20, beat Russian Varvara Gracheva (88e) in two sets, 6-3 7-5 in the final of this WTA 250 hard court tournament.
After scoring the point of victory, the young woman collapsed on the court, in tears, before speaking at the awards ceremony. “I want to dedicate this title to Ukraine and all the people who are fighting and dying right now,” she said.
“Obviously this is a very special moment for me,” she added.
Previously, the Ukrainian, who will climb to 40e world rank thanks to this success, had won the first round without forcing. On the other hand, it started the second run badly. Led 5-3, the seeded N.8 had to draw on its resources to line up four consecutive games and win its first WTA title, in an hour and a half of play (1:31).
The Ukrainian player had already spoken at the start of the year about the conflict caused by the Russian invasion a year ago.
At the Australian Open, where she reached the semi-finals, she said she was “surprised” and “injured” to see Russian flags in the stands in Melbourne despite the ban in force.
