Ukrainian tennis player Marta Kostiuk dominates Greek competitor, secures quarterfinal spot at Olympics
Marta Kostiuk, a Ukrainian tennis player, defeated Greece's Maria Sakkari and advanced to the quarterfinals of the Olympics.
Suspilne Sport reports this.
The Ukrainian athlete secured a determined triumph in the third round of the 2024 Olympic tennis singles competition. In a three-set match, she overcame Maria Sakkari, the eighth-ranked player in the world.
The top Ukrainian tennis player made her debut at the 2024 Olympic Games, where she defeated New Zealander Lula Sun in the opening match and then defeated French competitor Clara Burel in the second round.
Kostiuk performed amazingly at the Olympic Games. The result of the match, which took place on July 30, 2024, became a real thriller for tennis fans:
- 6:4, 6:7, 4:6 in favor of Kostiuk.
In the opening of the first match, Kostiuk went on a three-game run, including twice on Sakkari's serve, giving her a 3-0 advantage. Despite this, the Ukrainian could not maintain the lead and surrendered four consecutive games to her opponent. In response, the Greek player went on a winning streak of five games in a row, ultimately taking the first set on her own serve.
The second set went at a similar pace: Kostiuk started well again, but Sakkari managed to stay level. After several exchanges of serves, the game went to a tie-break, where the Ukrainian won with a score of 7:5.
In the decisive third game, the tennis players continued to exchange breaks. The critical moment of the match was the fourth game on Sakkari's serve: the representative of Greece won three break points, but the Ukrainian pressed her opponent and gained a 3:1 advantage. In the end, Kostiuk won with a score of 6:4.
Thanks to this victory, Kostiuk reaches the quarterfinals of the Olympic Games, where he will meet with Croatian Donna Vekić, who surprised the world by defeating the American tennis player Cori Gauff.
Marta Kostiuk is still the only Ukrainian singles player left at the Olympics, making her success even more important. This comes after Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina lost to Czech player Barbora Krejčíková in the third round of the Olympic tournament.
Moreover, Kostiuk is set to team up with Dayana Yastremska and compete in a second-round doubles match, where they will face off against Taiwanese duo Chia Yi Cao and Shuwei Xie.
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