Marta Kostyuk Looks at the Wider Picture After Wimbledon Semifinal Defeat: “Feel Like I’ve Won”

Marta Kostyuk‘s bid to reach her first major tournament final ended in heartbreak after her loss to Linda Noskova on Thursday (July 10). The Ukrainian star came up short against Noskova, who will now play Karolina Muchova in the title match on Saturday (July 11). However, has digested the loss with a positive perspective.

Kostyuk lost to Noskova for decisive reasons. She dropped serves at the end of the first half of the second set and, at the end, hit three unforced errors and a double fault. Kostyuk was the favorite to win the match due to her recent record. She had lost just one of her last 22 matches on the court, winning two titles during that process.

Also, she was in better form than Noskova in recent months. The Ukrainian had reached the semi-finals of the French Open, which was the first time in her career that she had reached that stage in a Grand Slam. She continued with the momentum at Wimbledon, where she had never made it to the fourth round.

She reached the semi-finals of the All England Club for the first time. On the other hand, Noskova had crashed out in the first round at the French Open and only gained form at the Berlin Tennis Open, which she won after beating Jessica Pegula. Notwithstanding, Noskova defeated Kostyuk 6-4, 6-4 to reach her first final.

Kostyuk has been the most in-form player in the women’s circuit since April, but two Grand Slam semi-final losses can be painful. However, she has admitted that she’s not aiming to dwell on the defeats, but rather on the positive side of her growth. She added that she feels that she won the Wimbledon Championships:

I’m the happiest with the freedom that I gave myself to try different things on the court and just to play tennis. Grass is not my best surface. I still don’t think it is. If someone had told me two weeks ago that I’d be here, I would’ve signed on without a second thought, so everything’s fine. I’m really happy with the way I’m handling defeats. One thing is talking about it, and another is living it—right now I’m sitting here and I truly feel like I’ve won.

Kostyuk has broken into the top 10 for the first time despite not winning the grass-court Grand Slam. Nonetheless, she just needs a good run at one of the North American swings to solidify her position amongst the WTA elite group. The Ukrainian star will be eyeing another Grand Slam run at the US Open.

Marta Kostyuk admits she has been lucky to win her maiden Grand Slam on tour

Marta Kostyuk began the year by reaching the final of the Brisbane International, where she lost to World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka. The 24-year-old then suffered an injury that saw her struggle until April, when she claimed the Rouen Open, a WTA 250 tournament. He claimed the biggest title of her career at the Madrid Open, a WTA 1000 event.

Nonetheless, she lost to Mirra Andreeva and Linda Noskova in straight sets at the French Open and Wimbledon final, respectively. Speaking during the aforementioned press conference, Kostyuk admitted that she might need a bit of luck to get her hands on a major title and, most especially, to reach a final:

Perhaps a little luck would do me good; I didn’t have much of it in either of these two semifinals. Joking aside, many things have to align to win a Grand Slam. There are always aspects to improve: my return, my serve, my concentration, my decision-making… Everything can continue to grow. I only played my first semifinal a month ago and now my second, so it’s still too early to find patterns.

Kostyuk will be World No.10 when the WTA rankings are updated next Monday, which highlights her impressive run of form under the guidance of coach Sandra Zaniewska. The 24-year-old remains one of the few top players with a female coach in the women’s circuit.

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