The run of Ukrainian tennis player Marta Kostyuk at the WTA 500 tournament in Guadalajara, Mexico, has come to an end. In a tense quarterfinal match, the world No. 10 lost to Lyudmila Samsonova, who is competing under a neutral status, and the latter advanced to the semifinals of the tournament.
Match progression and statistics
The match lasted two hours and 30 minutes and was marked by a high number of unforced errors from both sides. In the first set, Kostyuk managed to recover from a slow start and took the set 6-4, but in the second and third sets she failed to hold her advantage and lost them 2-6 and 5-7. In the end, the Ukrainian hit three aces, committed six double faults, and converted four of six break points. More details on the result are provided by Sport RBC.UA.
A missed chance at a record
The defeat was especially painful for Kostyuk in terms of the rankings. Had she reached the semifinals, she would have had a real chance to overtake Polish tennis player Iga Swiatek in the updated WTA rankings and, for the first time in her career, climb to No. 9 in the world. Stopping just short of the semifinals deprived the Ukrainian of this opportunity.
Head-to-head history
The match in Guadalajara was the fifth head-to-head meeting between the two players at the professional level. According to the data provided, Kostyuk has yet to beat Samsonova, making this opponent one of the toughest for the Ukrainian on tour.
How the Ukrainian reached the quarterfinals
It is worth recalling that Kostyuk's path to the quarterfinals involved a certain degree of luck: in the previous round she received a "gift" in the form of her opponent's withdrawal and advanced to the quarterfinals without playing. Thus, the road to a potential semifinal and a record ranking was largely eased, but in the decisive match the Ukrainian lacked the necessary consistency.
