Kostyuk rolls past Pegula in Madrid third round

Something needed to give on the Mutua Madrid Open on Sunday as two of the primary three clay-court title-winners on the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz this season — Marta Kostyuk and Jessica Pegula — confronted off for a spot in the Round of 16.

Both ladies entered the match with a 6-0 match report on the floor in WTA occasions this spring after taking residence trophies in Rouen and Charleston, respectively, and successful their second-round matches. After 1 hour and 13 minutes on Arantxa Sanchez Stadium, Kostyuk earned a 6-1, 6-4 victory to be the one who stored his successful streak in tact.

“I think it took me many years to learn how to play Madrid,” Kostyuk informed press. “It’s very tough, very completely different circumstances right here. I’m proud of how tactically I performed right now, and the way I used my strengths.

“Right now, I probably take each tournament separately because every tournament has such different conditions. For me, this is not clay. Rouen is not clay. Clay is Rome probably or Paris, but the rest of the season is really different clay, where it’s not something I grew up on, and I had to learn how to adapt.”

With her thirteenth profession Top 10 victory, Kostyuk advances to face Pegula’s compatriot, Caty McNally, for a spot in the quarterfinals. While Kostyuk shall be bidding to succeed in the quarterfinals in Madrid for the second yr in a row, McNally superior to the fourth round of a WTA 1000 occasion for the primary time in her profession after saving two match factors in a 6-3, 2-6, 7-6(2) win over Katerina Siniakova.

More information and figures from Kostyuk’s triumph included:

2: After shedding 4 of the primary 5 matches she performed in opposition to Pegula, Kostyuk has now received two in a row in the head-to-head. She additionally beat Pegula 6-0, 6-3 in the semifinals of the Brisbane International in January.

3: Kostyuk posted runs of three straight video games three separate instances in victory. She received the primary three, and final three, video games of the opening set, and likewise did it from 1-0 down in the second set.

4: The Ukrainian broke Pegula 4 instances on seven break-point alternatives.

8: Having additionally picked up a win over Magda Linette in Billie Jean King Cup Qualifiers for Ukraine, eight matches in a career-long successful streak for Kostyuk. After successful her first profession title in Austin three years in the past, her unbeaten was stopped at 5 matches.

10: In all, Kostyuk saved 10 of the 11 break factors she confronted — together with all 9 in the opening set. Four of these got here in a five-deuce service maintain for 3-0, after which she saved two extra in every of the fifth and seventh video games.

20: Kostyuk recorded 20 winners in the win — far dwarfing Pegula’s 9.

“I thought it was just a good wake-up call for me to just think a little bit smarter out there,” Pegula informed press. “I truly felt good once I was hitting the ball, however I simply did not suppose I performed very sensible. I did not suppose I used to be enjoying the best patterns I wanted to play.

“I was just not happy with the strategy that I was kind of playing.”

27: Kostyuk was significantly efficient when returning Pegula’s second serves. The American received simply 27% of these factors in the match.

“I think it was a good match,” Kostyuk mentioned in her on-court interview. “I played Jessica this year already, and she’s such a tough player, such a solid player, so I was going into this match fully ready for a big battle. I’m very, very happy to finish this in two.”

“I feel I’m undoubtedly having fun with enjoying tennis since I acquired injured in the Australian Open. I needed to rethink slightly bit find out how to method this and the way a lot it prices me to be on this courtroom — my vitality, my bodily vitality. I’m very proud of the changes that we made, I’m very proud of the progress that we’re making as a group, and I feel that is all that issues.

“I’ve never had such a long winning streak in my career, so we must be doing something right!”