Citing Emma Raducanu’s 2021 US Open win, Marta Kostyuk said that the luck of the draw plays a big role in a player’s run at Grand Slams.
Just three months after making her tour-level main-draw debut in Nottingham in 2021, Raducanu made history at the North American hardcourt Major. Having entered the tournament as a qualifier, she won the title without dropping a set.
She became the first female British singles Major winner in over 40 years and the first qualifier ever to win a Major singles title.
In New York that year, Raducanu faced one lucky loser and three unseeded players en route to the quarterfinals. She only faced two seeded players: 11th seed Belinda Bencic and 17th seed Maria Sakkari.
On the other hand, runner-up Fernandez faced a much tougher route to the final, beating the likes of second seed Aryna Sabalenka, third seed Naomi Osaka, and fifth seed Elina Svitolina.
At a press conference on the sidelines of the 2024 Australian Open, Kostyuk said that a player’s draw plays a role in how far he or she can go at a Major.
“Every slam and every tournament is so unique and so different. We play in different conditions, different balls, different. Everything is different, opponents. Everything is different. I think a lot depends. Someone can have a very easy draw, and someone can have extremely difficult,” she said.
“I have an easiest example of when Leylah and Emma were playing the final, what draw Leylah had and what draw Emma had. Emma, no offense, but Leylah was really fighting for her life every single match,” she added.
2024 Australian Open: Emma Raducanu makes 2R exit, Marta Kostyuk through to quarterfinals
Emma Raducanu’s search for a meaningful run at the Majors will continue after she made a second-round exit at the 2024 Australian Open.
The Brit began her campaign in Melbourne by beating Shelby Rogers in straight sets. She, however, stumbled in the following round, with Wang Yafan winning 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 in two hours and 54 minutes.
Marta Kostyuk, on the other hand, beat the likes of Claire Liu, Elise Mertens, and Elina Avanesyan to reach the fourth round, where she locked horns with qualifier Maria Timofeeva.
The Ukrainian was on song against the qualifier, defeating her 6-2, 6-1 to set up a quarterfinal clash with World No.4 Coco Gauff.
