Ukrainian tennis player Marta Kostyuk defeated Russia's Mirra Andreeva at the WTA 1000 tournament in Cincinnati on Wednesday after recovering from a set down.
Kostyuk completed a 4:6, 6:0, 6:2 victory in one hour and 35 minutes to reach the quarter-finals before declining to shake hands with her opponent at the net.
The third-round contest featured two players positioned in the top tier of women's professional tennis. Kostyuk, the world number 11, reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon earlier this year. Andreeva, 19, holds the world number six ranking and won her maiden Grand Slam title at Roland Garros at the French Open.
The match carried heightened political tension typical of encounters between Ukrainian and Russian competitors. Andreeva handled the pressure better in the early stages, breaking Kostyuk's serve in the opening game to take a 2:0 lead. That early break proved decisive as both players held serve throughout the remainder of the set, with Andreeva failing to convert one further break point before closing out the set 6:4.
Kostyuk dominates second set
Following a short break between sets, the momentum shifted completely in Kostyuk's favor. The Ukrainian raised her service level substantially while Andreeva struggled to maintain control, committing numerous errors and conceding consecutive points.
Kostyuk dismantled Andreeva's game to win six straight games, taking the second set 6:0 in just 24 minutes to level the match.
Andreeva's difficulties persisted into the deciding set. With Kostyuk leading 2:1, the Ukrainian broke Andreeva's serve again while the teenager visibly struggled to control her frustration. Kostyuk then committed a sequence of unforced errors to give Andreeva an opportunity to break straight back, but Kostyuk saved the break point to build a 4:1 cushion.
Quarter-final berth secured
Both players held serve in the subsequent games, leaving Kostyuk one game away from victory at 5:2. Serving to stay in the match, Andreeva established a 40:15 lead but failed to convert her advantage under pressure. Kostyuk fought back to deuce and earned a match point, which she secured when Andreeva hit a shot wide into touch.
After securing the win, Kostyuk walked straight to her bench without offering the customary handshake at the net. Ukrainian players on the WTA tour have consistently declined post-match handshakes with Russian and Belarusian opponents following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Kostyuk advances to the quarter-finals in Cincinnati, where she will face the winner of the match between American Coco Gauff and Marie Bouzkova of the Czech Republic. In other action at the Cincinnati tournament on Wednesday, Polish player Iga Swiatek also secured a spot in the quarter-finals with a 6:3, 6:3 win over France's Diane Parry.
