Kostyuk Tops Navarro, Twirls Into Wimbledon Fourth Round
Wimbledon—Grass-court tennis has been a slippery slope for Marta Kostyuk.
Facing a third-set stress test against nemesis Emma Navarro today, Kostyuk charged through the finish line like a woman running downhill fast.
An energized Kostyuk raced through 11 consecutive points in the decider, defeating Navarro 6-2, 4-6, 6-1 to advance to the Wimbledon fourth round for the first time.
Closing in style, Kostyuk drilled a forehand drive volley right off the sideline to convert her fourth match point then twirled around like a ballerina in a power pirouette as the Court No. 2 crowd roared in appreciation.
“I never thought in my life I’d reach the fourth round here,” said Kostyuk, who had not won a grass court match since the 2024 Wimbledon prior to her SW19 arrival last week. “No matter what the result, the most important thing is to enjoy it 100 percent.”
Success reinforces Kostyuk’s connection with the pleasure of playing.
Roland Garros semifinalist Kostyuk has won 19 of her last 20 matches and has now registered fourth round or better results at all four Grand Slams.
The victory vaults the 13th-ranked Kostyuk into a fourth-round meeting with either Ukrainian compatriot Daria Snigur, who knocked off two-time semifinalist Elina Svitolina in round one, or American qualifier Ashlyn Krueger, who defeated 2024 semifinalist Donna Vekic in her main-draw opener. Kostyuk, who improved to 25-5 on the season, is now on the verge of a maiden Top 10 appearance, rising to No. 11 in the live rankings, just 194 ranking points behind current No. 10 Victoria Mboko, who withdrew from Wimbledon due to a knee injury she suffered at Queen’s Club.
Major marches are about match-ups and Navarro had been a nightmare opponent for Kostyuk winning all four of their prior meetings, including collecting eight of the nine total sets the pair had played before.
After Kostyuk beat Mirra Andreeva to win Madrid in April, she famously celebrated with a backflip.
Applying her athleticism, Kostyuk played periods of proactive all-court tennis today.
The 12th-seeded Ukrainian converted four of five break points and torched some down the line returns winning 26 of 36 points played on Navarro’s second serve.
The 23rd-seeded Navarro saved a couple of break points in her opening service games. Even at 2-all, Kostyuk held at 15 then drilled a forehand down the line to break for 4-2.
That sparked a five game surge that saw Kostyuk claim the opening set and go up 1-0 in the second.
Exhorted on by three fans wearing New York Knicks jerseys, Navarro was striking the ball with more conviction as the second set progressed.
Reading the direction of her opponent’s volley, Navarro swooped across the court and roped a running forehand pass down the line for a pair of break points. Handcuffed by a crackling return, Kostyuk dropped serve for the only time as Navarro went up 5-4.
On her fourth set point, Navarro drew a netted backhand to force a final set after 71 minutes of play.
Exuding urgency, Kostyuk was often up off her chair and bouncing out onto the grass before the chair umpire even called “time” to end the changeover.
One the fastest players on tour, Kostyuk applied her speed—and exploited a lapse from the American, who bunted a drop shot into the bottom of the net to surrender serve and fall behind 0-2.
Throwing down a smash, Kostyuk held at love for 4-1 then angled off a sharp backhand volley to break at love for 5-1.
The 24-year-old Kostyuk improved to 16-1 vs. opponents ranked outside the Top 20 this season and will ride a 16-match winning streak vs. non Top 20 opponents into the fourth round.
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