Marta Kostyuk from Ukraine failed to hit the final backhand on Thursday night during her match. Instead of the customary post-match handshake, she chose to skip it and headed straight to her chair, grabbed her bag, and left the outside court hurriedly. This kind of conclusion to matches in the WTA Tour has become more frequent over the past year, which is understandable given the current situation.
Marta Kostyuk played against Anastasia Potapova from Russia in the second round of the Miami Open. She lost heavily 6-1 6-3, and throughout the match, the Ukrainian player appeared detached. It was expected that Kostyuk would not engage in the usual post-match pleasantries with Potapova, who is ranked 26th in the world. Recently, Potapova was given an official warning by the WTA Tour for wearing a Spartak Moscow football T-shirt during her warm-ups at Indian Wells.
It is anticipated that Wimbledon will reverse its position from last year and allow players from aggressor nations to participate in the upcoming tournament. The British tennis authorities are at risk of severe penalties for both the men’s and women’s tours. Marta Kostyuk stated that she would wait for Wimbledon’s decision. Currently, she is more concerned about how the request from Ukrainian players to meet with the primary WTA Board has been received.
”We wanted to have the meeting and we didn’t get one. No reply. Nothing. Just a silence,” she said. The Ukrainian players share a feeling of being treated unfairly and lacking the appropriate level of compassion, contributing to the tense atmosphere in the locker room.
Marta Kostyuk Honors Ukraine with Maiden Title Dedication
After defeating Varvara Gracheva at the ATX Open in Austin, Texas, Marta Kostyuk, a 20-year-old Ukrainian player ranked 40, dedicated her first WTA Tour title to those who are “fighting and dying.” Kostyuk won the match 6-3, 7-5, competing in her debut final. During the presentation ceremony she said: “Being in the position that I’m in right now, it’s extremely special to win this title. I want to dedicate this title to Ukraine and to all the people who are fighting and dying.”
Marta Kostyuk has been the most vocal player regarding the choice to permit Russian and Belarusian players to participate in the tour despite the invasion of Ukraine. She has frequently criticized athletes from these two countries for not speaking out against the war. At the conclusion of the match, there was no handshake between Kostyuk and Gracheva.
Donna Vekic emerged victorious at the WTA tournament in Monterrey, Mexico, claiming her fourth title with a 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 win over the top-seeded Caroline Garcia. The Croatian player, who underwent knee surgery last year and was ranked outside the top 100, has had a fantastic six months, including a quarterfinal appearance in the Australian Open. She has now risen to 23rd place in the rankings.
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