The Spanish Paula Badosa (8) suffered against the Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk after winning the third round of the Australian Open by 6-2, 5-7 and 6-4 in a crash that lasted two hours and 19 minutes. “I was waiting for a match like this. She is an incredible player, she has played like a top-5 player. She is going to become one of the best in the world soon”, she commented after merging into a warm hug with the Ukrainian on the Margaret Court Arena net. “I am very motivated, I am playing very well. This is one of my favorite tournaments, so I am very happy to reach the second week”, she added.
Kostyuk, once again proving his potential to dominate the circuit in the near future, saved three match points – two serving and one serving – before Badosa sealed the match with a spectacular baseline exchange. The woman from Girona, to whom he missed his first set so far in the competition, lost his temper in the final stretch of the second set but kept a positive seven of eight break points that showed his firmness in the delicate moments. However, he suffered more than expected with a service, conceding up to fifteen break points and accumulating 64% of points with firsts.
Kostyuk, who is close friends with Badosa on tour, was unable to match her best record at Melbourne Park after she became the youngest player to reach a third round at a Grand Slam since Mirjana Lucic-Baroni at the Open in 2018. of the United States in 1997. Badosa established the 2-0 in a face to face that has all the ballots to become a prominent rivalry in the coming years.
The next rival of the woman from Girona, the only Spanish hope alive in the draw, will be the American Madison Keys, who got rid of the Chinese Qiang Wang 4-6, 6-3 and 7-6 (2). Badosa will continue with options to equalize with his best result in ‘major’ competition dating from his quarterfinals during the last edition of Roland Garros.
Azarenka files her candidacy after overwhelming Svitolina
The Belarusian Victoria Azarenka (24) hit the table overwhelming Ukrainian Elina Svitolina (15) in a third round in which he won by a severe 6-0 and 6-2 after just over an hour. Azarenka embroidered it again after committing only nine unforced errors and thus ratifying the words of her Spanish friend Paula Badosa (8), who commented that the Belarusian would be a serious candidate for the Australian ‘major’ after she was eliminated by double Australian Open champion at the recent Adelaide tournament. He was brilliant at net after scoring the point nine of the ten times he finished in the net at Rod Laver Arena, as well as on serve after holding all of his serving games. She became the first tennis player to reach the round of 16 after opening day five at Melbourne Park on Center Court. She will face the Czech Barbora Krejcikova (4), Roland Garros champion in 2021, in the round of 16.
Krejcikova and Sakkari enter the second week
the czech Krejcikova (4) and the Greek Maria Sakkari (5) complied as favorites by beating the Latvian Jelena Ostapenko (26) and the Russian Veronika Kurdermetova (28) to access the round of 16.
Krejcikova struggled to overcome a tight 2-6, 6-4 and 6-4, and continue with the good feelings experienced in the first two rounds, in which she did not give up a set, as well as in the recent tournament in Sydney where she narrowly missed the title after tripping against the Spanish Paula Badosa (8) in the final. She surpassed her best record after maintaining a consistent 72% of the points with first services that allowed her to turn around a match that revived the best version of an Ostapenko who achieved glory at Roland Garros in 2017. Her next opponent will be the Belarusian Viktoria Azarenka (24) after she beat the Ukrainian Elina Svitolina (15) by a resounding 6-0 and 6-2 that slightly exceeded the hour duration.
She did not need three sets and quickly resolved the Greek Sakkari after desperate Kudermetova with whom she maintained a 1-1 head-to-head through solid tennis that was reflected in her twelve unforced errors. She matched her best record at Melbourne Park dating back to the round of 16 reached in 2020 after tripping over Czech Petra Kvitova. Her next rival will be the American Jessica Pegula (21) after she beat the Spanish Nuria Párrizas in their respective third round match.
