South Africa News

Kostyuk beats Golubic to reach Roland Garros last 16

Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk reched the French Open fourth round on Friday, defeating Switzerland’s Viktorija Golubic 6-4 6-3 to extend her unbeaten run on clay this season. Order of Play | Win with SPAR | Watch Live on DStv The 23-year-old world number 15 still had to fight hard to get past the experienced Golubic, a decade her senior. The two women traded long and powerful baseline rallies, with some jaw-dropping winners. The first set extended beyond an hour as Golubic saved three set points, one

with a bold volley at the net, before eventually conceding the set on an unforced error at the fourth opportunity. In the second set, however, Kostyuk asserted her dominance. Breaking Golubic’s serve early, the Ukrainian held firm, exploiting her serve – which she described as her “favourite shot” – to great effect. “I feel like I found again that joy of creating points, changing rhythm, running around a little bit, and it’s something I love to do,” Kostyuk said. “It’s something that’s not very difficult

for me, so I love to take that advantage against players. Maybe that’s the key,” she added. At 4-2 in the second set Kostyuk cemented her lead with an under-arm serve. It is the first time she has reached the last 16 at Roland Garros since 2021. She will next face four-time champion Iga Swiatek.

Marta Kostyuk, Viktorija Golubic, French Open, Roland Garros, Iga Swiatek, clay season, fourth round

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Are you human? Please solve:Captcha


Secret Link