Ukraine's No. 2 and the world's No. 11, Marta Kostyuk, fell just short of the quarterfinals of the 2026 US Open. In a dramatic fourth-round match, the Ukrainian lost in three sets to Czechia's Linda Noskova — 5-7, 7-5, 4-6 — and equaled her personal best on the New York courts. After this match, Ukraine lost its last representative in the singles draw of the tournament.
Match progression: pain, tears, and steel character
The first set was a tense battle with a string of mutual breaks, but in the endgame the Czech proved more precise — 7-5. In the second set, real drama unfolded on court: Marta felt sharp pain in her wrist and burst into tears during the match. Despite her health problems and a 3-5 deficit, the Ukrainian showed steel character, saved two match points on her opponent's serve, and snatched the set 7-5.
The third head-to-head of the season
For the two players, this was already their third meeting of the season. After Kostyuk's win on clay in Madrid, Noskova beat the Ukrainian in the semifinals of the grass major, and now repeated her success on hard courts in the US. In the deciding set, the Czech again surged ahead: in the tenth game, on the brink of elimination, Kostyuk saved three more match points, but failed to complete the comeback and level the score — 4-6.
A record on the New York courts and a steady season
Thus, Kostyuk stopped at the fourth round of the US Open for the second time in her career, which remains her best result at the American "major." At the same time, the season has been consistently successful for the Ukrainian at Grand Slam events: she reached the round of 16 three times, including a run to the French Open semifinals.
Next: Noskova vs. Swiatek
Linda Noskova, the world's No. 6 and the reigning Wimbledon champion, advanced to the quarterfinals, where she will face the world No. 1, Aryna Sabalenka. For Kostyuk, the New York match marked the end of her run at this Grand Slam tournament.
