WTA Stoccarda: Kostyuk vince la terza partita consecutiva contro una Top 10. In finale contro Rybakinai.
M. Kostyuk defeated M. Vondrousova 7-6(2) 6-2 (with the contribution of Christian Attanasio)
The second semifinal in Stuttgart started with Marta Kostyuk serving, with the Ukrainian immediately forced to offer two break points in the opening game. Once she brilliantly saved the two chances, the world number 27 started to put pressure on Marketa Vondrousova, who struggled to hold her first service game and saw the set slip away from her eyes. Kostyuk dominated from the baseline, made fewer mistakes, and unsettled her opponent, also throwing in some beautiful drop shots. In a flash, the Ukrainian soared to a 5-1 40-15 lead, but when it came time to close out the set, she faltered. Vondrousova, who already seemed to have her mind set on the second set, seized the opportunity, saving a total of three set points and starting her comeback. The Wimbledon champion fought back to 5-5, but wasted all her efforts in the tie-break. From 1-2, Kostyuk took advantage of two significant errors from her rival, won all the last six points of the set, and sealed a 7-6(2) first set that could have been finished half an hour earlier.
Returning to the court after losing the tiebreak, Vondrousova showed that she was not mentally present and made the classic false start, handing the break to Kostyuk despite having the chance to hold serve at deuce. The Wimbledon champion managed to regroup, fighting in every return game and always making at least two points, but as soon as she pushed the accelerator, she made mistakes and Kostyuk capitalized. Mentally drained by a situation where she seemed unable to do anything, Vondrousova started poorly in her third service game, giving away an 0-40 lead that Kostyuk eventually erased and then secured the break, avoiding the ghosts of the recent past. At this point, it seemed like a formality for the Ukrainian to close out the match with her serve. However, before doing so, she gave Vondrousova two break chances that the Czech couldn’t convert. On the first match point, to avoid any unpleasant surprises, Kostyuk sealed the second set with a score of 6-2. The 2002 class will face Rybakina in the Stuttgart final.
Their previous meetings have seen an equal balance at the professional level, although Kostyuk had won their first encounter in the Junior level at the Australian Open back in 2017. The other two matches were both played in 2023: the first was won by Kostyuk in three sets in Adelaide, while Rybakina dominated the second meeting at the US Open last year.
