Marta Kostyuk achieved a new milestone at the Mutua Madrid Open on Friday by securing a three-set victory over the 2021 US Open champion, Emma Raducanu. This win is significant as it marks only her second main-draw match win in seven appearances at the tournament.
Before this year`s event in the Spanish capital, the Ukrainian player`s record in Madrid was modest, with just one win in six career matches and three consecutive exits in the second round. However, her 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 triumph against the former US Open champion propelled the No. 24 seed into the third round for the first time. She is set to face Veronika Kudermetova next for a place in the Round of 16.
Kostyuk`s path to victory required her to overcome not just Raducanu, who had secured her first outdoor clay-court win in three years in the opening round, but also her own physical challenges. After winning the first set, Kostyuk took a medical timeout to address what appeared to be a wrist issue. Despite this setback, she managed to shake off any lingering concerns and complete the match, which lasted 2 hours and 17 minutes.
Below are some notable statistics from Kostyuk`s win:
2: This is the second time Kostyuk has defeated Raducanu in their three career meetings. The win also provides a degree of revenge for their previous encounter, which coincidentally also happened in the second round in Madrid in 2022. In that match, Raducanu, seeded 9th at the time, defeated Kostyuk convincingly with a score of 6-2, 6-1.
3: Kostyuk`s success ensures that three Ukrainian players will compete in the third round. 17th seed Elina Svitolina also advanced on Friday, beating Great Britain`s Sonay Kartal 6-3, 6-1. Interestingly, like Kostyuk, Svitolina entered this tournament with a losing career record in Madrid. The third Ukrainian reaching Round 3 is qualifier Yuliia Starodubtseva, who defeated lucky loser Elisabetta Cocciaretto 7-6(5), 6-4 after 12th seed Karolina Muchova withdrew due to illness.
4: A pattern of four consecutive games occurred in crucial moments. Raducanu won four straight games to level the second set, while Kostyuk responded by winning four straight games in the deciding set to secure the win. Across all three sets, the player who ultimately won the set established an early 2-0 lead, was pulled back level by their opponent, and then broke away again. In the first set, Raducanu recovered from a 3-1 deficit before Kostyuk claimed it by winning three of the final four games.
11: The match featured a total of 11 service breaks. Kostyuk converted 6 out of her 16 break point opportunities against Raducanu, while the British player managed to win 5 out of her 7 chances.
To continue her deepest run ever in Madrid, Kostyuk will need to overcome Veronika Kudermetova for the first time in her career. Their last meeting was in 2021. Kudermetova, a former Top 10 player, reached this stage by winning a tough three-set battle against Spanish lucky loser Cristina Bucsa in the second round, saving a match point en route to a 4-6, 7-6(1), 7-5 comeback victory.
