Marta Kostyuk produced a stunning point that left tennis commentators in disbelief during her Canadian Open victory over Daria Kasatkina on Thursday. The Ukrainian 24th seed won 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 in a nail-biting match that featured a contender for point of the year.
In a crucial moment of the tiebreak, with Kasatkina leading 1-0, Kostyuk slipped while returning a high shot and appeared to be out of the rally. However, a mishit from Kasatkina sent the ball back to Kostyuk, who scrambled to her feet and sprinted to the opposite side of the court, hitting an incredible winner from a tight angle to level the tiebreak.
The commentator screamed: 'No way! Oh my word!' as Kostyuk spread her arms in disbelief. She went on to win the tiebreak 7-4, sending the 15th seed out of the tournament. 'I was 1-0 down already and then, you know, I mishit the ball and thought, "Now it's going to be 2-0,"' Kostyuk said. 'Then she mishit the ball so I was like, "OK, I still have a chance." I tried to never give up and that point was kind of a reflection of that.'
Kostyuk, who faces American McCartney Kessler in the next round, added: 'It was a very difficult match. I've played Daria so many times and it's always such a battle. Thank you guys [the fans] for your support, it was unbelievable today. Thank you!'
Earlier this year, Kostyuk and Kasatkina faced each other in Rome, where attention was on whether they would shake hands. Kostyuk, who has a policy of not shaking hands with Russian or Belarusian players due to the war, made an exception for Kasatkina, who had spoken out against the war and decided to represent Australia. Kostyuk said: 'Since the beginning of the war, I’ve chosen not to shake hands with Russian or Belarusian players... But when someone not only tells the truth – calling Russia the aggressor – but also acts on it, that deserves respect.'
