WHAT HAPPENED: No. 27 seeded Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk reached the US Open fourth round for the first time by turning back the stubborn challenge of unseeded Frenchwoman Diane Parry, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2, on a bright and sunny Day 7 on Saturday.
Kostyuk was a 2024 Australian Open quarterfinalist for her career best result at the Grand Slams but had never gotten past the third round in five previous Flushing Meadows appearances.
That changed with a dominating final set. The 23-year-old Kostyuk won 12 of the first 14 points in the last set to sprint to the finish of the two-hour-and-26-minute match out on Court 5 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
After holding serve at love to begin the last set, Kostyuk broke serve at love and then held serve from 30-30 for a commanding 3-0 lead to raise her career record against Parry to 3-0.
The significance of the win was plain to see. Kostyuk buried her face in her hands after Parry’s forehand found the net on the first match point.
The one-sided last set was in stark contrast to the tightly contested and tension-filled opening two sets.
Parry was bidding to be the first French woman since Caroline Garcia in 2022 to reach the fourth round or better at Flushing Meadows. But, with Garcia at courtside watching, Parry’s game slowly crumbled, making 30 errors under Kostyuk’s constant pressure.
WHAT IT MEANS: Kostyuk’s aggressive net rushing game and strong groundstrokes are well suited to the Flushing Meadow hard courts. Against Parry she had 30 winners and won 23 of 28 points at net for a sizzling 82%.
Throughout her career, her best results have come on hard courts. She won her lone WTA singles title at Austin in 2023 on hard courts and reached the 2024 Australian Open quarterfinals. This season, Kostyuk reached the fourth round in Indian Wells and Miami along with a run to the quarterfinals in Montreal.
MATCH POINT: Up next is a first time meeting with two-time US Open semifinalist Karolina Muchova. Can Kostyuk pull off the upset?
