Tennis
Ukrainian lost her temper in a duel with a Russian tennis player. And was destroyed
Marta Kostyuk / Photo: © Mylene Deroche / Keystone Press Agency / Global Look Press
The US Open main draw kicked off on Monday. The very first competitive day was marked by the scandalous Ukrainian Martha Kostyuk, who suffered a crushing defeat.
Difficult opponent
Elena Rybakina was born and raised in Russia, but she achieved the greatest success under the flag of Kazakhstan. The athlete is now ranked fourth in the WTA rankings and is considered one of the main favorites for the US Open.
In the first round, Rybakina, by the will of the lot, got a very difficult opponent in all aspects. Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk not only occupies a high position in the ranking, but is also famous for her great dislike for Russian and Belarusian tennis players.
The incident with Arina Sobolenko at the end of May made a lot of noise in the world of tennis. Then the stands booed Kostyuk, who did not want to shake hands with her opponent after the defeat. Moreover, it was the Belarusian athlete who tried to put out the scandal with the lack of a handshake.
“I don’t think she deserved to leave the court like that,” Sobolenko said at a press conference.
“I knew it would be hard”
The complex nature of Kostyuk also manifested itself in the game with Rybakina. From the very beginning, Martha oozed disrespect for the opponent and the game itself. The athlete celebrated Elena’s mistakes for several games. Moreover, the Ukrainian woman did this even when there was absolutely no merit in this.
But you won’t go far on the opponent’s mistakes alone if you are opposed by the fourth racket of the world. Rybakina played much better. Although she rarely got signature aces, Elena made life difficult for her opponent with quick first serves.
Toward the end of the opening game, the joy on Kostyuk’s face gradually began to disappear, even after successful rallies. The delay in counting irritated her. The cheerleader also got it from Martha, who wanted to take the ball that had fallen near her.
In the eighth game, the racket and balls went into action. Losing a point on his pitch really brought Marta out of moral balance. She hit the ball into the net, and then hit the floor with a racket. The first set ended with the victory of the representative of Kazakhstan with a score of 6:2.
Nothing has changed in the second game. Rybakina looked much better, making almost no mistakes. Kostyuk took only one game, and this made her very angry. She again pounded the racket on the court and shouted towards the fans. Elena behaved calmly in this situation. And at the press conference, Rybakina behaved traditionally modestly, without touching on the behavior of her opponent. She only appreciated her game.
“I knew it would be hard. We’ve already had a few tough matches. I was ready, but I didn’t expect the bill to be like this. The result does not reflect the progress of the game,” Elena said.
Rybakina in the second round of the US Open will meet with Australian Ayla Tomlyanovich.
Source: Sportbox
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