“Loud mouth drama queen” – Marta Kostyuk fails to impress fans despite her ‘mammoth’ victory against top seed Jessica Pegula at San Diego

Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk caused an upset in San Diego as the 21-year-old Ukrainian beat top seed Jessica Pegula in the semifinal.

Kostyuk came back from a 1-5 deficit in the first set to win the match in an hour and 35 minutes. This was the Ukranian’s first Top 5 win of her career and Kostyuk was delighted.

However, despite the 21-year-old pulling off a memorable win for herself, Kostyuk faced the heat from ten tennis fans online who were not pleased about her win. Quite a few fans were not happy that Kostyuk progressed to the final because they would have to listen to her whining.

Notably, Marta Kostyuk has been known for her protests against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The 21-year-old leaves no chance to express her displeasure at the ongoing war and tries to avoid playing against Russian and Belarusian players.

While some praise Kostyuk for her bravery, a few fans find her behavior over the board. The criticism after her win against Pegula was more about a potential protest she would stage if she won the tournament in San Diego. A few criticized the Ukrainian saying “She is trash“.

Sharing a wide spectrum of reactions online, here’s what fans have to say:

However, some fans also heaped praise on the youngster for her monumental win.

Marta Kostyuk delighted to finally beat Jessica Pegula

Coming to Marta Kostyuk’s win over Jessica Pegula, it was the Ukrainian’s first win against the American in three attempts. Kostyuk came into the match trailing 0-2 in the head-to-head record and it seemed like another defeat for the Ukrainian with the way she started.

Kostyuk was 1-5 at one juncture in the first set and Pegual looked set to clinch the first set. But Kostyuk did not let the set slip as she staged a terrific comeback. The 21-year-old Ukrainian won four consecutive games to level the set at 5-5 and then wiped out a break point to hold to 6-5.

Pegula held serve to force the tiebreak, but Kostyuk’s momentum carried her through to seal the opening set. Kostyuk upped her level in the second set as she did not allow Pegula to stage a comeback. She finished the match with 26 winners to 23 unforced errors.

I don't even know how I turned this around. I think I was just rushing a little bit in the beginning, just picking the wrong balls to accelerate or to come in on. Top 5 wins are much more difficult than Top 10 because girls in the Top 5 are usually much more consistent. This one is extra special and important. I also lost twice to Jess before. So it definitely feels good.

Marta Kostyuk said. (H/T: WTA)

Notably, Kostyuk will next face Katie Boulter in the final.

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