MELBOURNE, January 19, 2018
Elina Svitolina of the Ukraine ended the prodigious run for 15-year-old compatriot Marta Kostyuk in the third round of the Australian Open, winning 6-2, 6-2 on Rod Laver Arena on Friday.
The No. 4 seed struck 11 winners and broke serve five times to seal victory in just under one hour of play.
“It’s very special for me to be in the fourth round for the first time,” Svitolina said on-court after the victory. “I love the Australian Open but I’ve never been further than the third round.”
Of her young compatriot, Svitolina added: “She is a great fighter and she has a bright future. I am sure we are going to hear about her again in the future.”
Kostyuk earned a wild card into qualifying after winning the junior title at Melbourne Park last year, posted five straight wins to become the youngest Australian Open third-rounder since Martina Hingis in 1996.
“I had the chances, but because I thought, like, she is incredible, like, she’s a god, I cannot do anything against her, that’s the problem that I didn’t use much,” the teenager said. “How much you have to pay Svitolina to have one-hour lesson – I got it for free. I know that I could play much better.
“When I’m playing against, like, big players for the first time, I cannot believe that I can beat them. It was for the first time I was playing against top five player in the world.”
Carreno Busta, Edmund And Dimitrov Advance
Pablo Carreno Busta marches into the fourth round at the Australian Open for the first time – and for the third straight Grand Slam he has contested, gaining a 7-6, 4-6, 7-5, 7-5 win over Gilles Muller from Luxembourg.
Muller whizzed 74 winners past Carreno Busta, but the Spaniard only made 22 unforced errors the three hours and 18 minutes encounter. Carreno Busta will face the winner of Ryan Harrison and Marin Cilic for a spot in the quarterfinal.
Britain’s Kyle Edmund battled back in brutal conditions to beat Nikoloz Basilashvili 7-6, 3-6, 4-6, 6-0, 7-5 to end Georgia’s hopes of seeing a male player reach the fourth round at a Grand Slam for just the second time in history.
On Court No. 2, Edmund fired 20 aces, winning 71 per cent of his first service points to prevail after three hours and 34 minutes. It’s the second time here that the 23-year-old has come back from two sets to one down. Edmund also overcame the deficit when upsetting 11th seed Kevin Anderson in the opening round.
Grigor Dimitrov edged past #NextGenATP Russian Andrey Rublev on Rod Laver Arena 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 to reach the fourth round. The third seed capitalized on six of his 19 break point opportunities to advance in three hours and four minutes.
“These are the most important matches for me, when things are not working and I’m able to find a way. That’s just it,” Dimitrov told during his on court interview. “I’m just pleased that I won the match.”
