By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Saturday March 2, 2024
Marta Kostyuk rallied from 5-1 down in the first set to take out top-seeded Jessica Pegula in San Diego.
Photo Source: Getty
Marta Kostyuk was undeterred after dropping five of the first games of her semifinal with top-seeded Jessica Pegula. She bolted through 12 of the final 14 games to lock down her first career Top-5 win and take her place alongside Katie Boulter in the Cymbiotika San Diego Open final.
34th-ranked Kostyuk improves to 12-4 on the season and improves to 1-7 lifetime against the Top 5. She had lost her previous two meetings with Pegula but would not be denied on Saturday at Barnes Tennis Center.
"I don't even know how I turned this around," 21-year-old Kostyuk said on court after her win.
Sixth-seeded Kostyuk will take on Great Britain’s Boulter for the crown on Sunday. Boulter, ranked 49, ripped past third-seeded American Emma Navarro, 6-3, 6-1 to reach her first hard court final on tour.
Both Kostyuk and Boulter are bidding for their second career title – they have never met before on tour.