Raducanu's US Open buildup gathers pace with Washington win over Kostyuk
Playing her first singles match since stretching world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the third round of Wimbledon, Raducanu held off the Ukrainian world No 27 to pull through a gruelling encounter 7-6 (4), 6-4.
Both players struggled on serve in a 71-minute opening set, trading early breaks before inevitably edging into a tie-break which Raducanu won despite initially sacrificing a 4-0 lead. The British No 3, who made a rare doubles appearance alongside Elena Rybakina earlier this week, looked the fresher of the pair in tough conditions and cemented her superiority by breaking en route to establishing a 3-0 lead in the second set.
Kostyuk, who arrived in Washington having lost five singles matches in a row stretching back to May, rallied just when all seemed lost, breaking Raducanu back as she clawed back to parity at 4-4. Having forced Kostyuk to serve to stay in the match, the Ukrainian handed Raducanu two match points with a double fault, and the Briton seized her second chance to book her place in the second round.
'Extremely good win,' Raducanu said in her on-court interview. 'Playing Marta first round is extremely difficult and we've always had some tough matches. I'm happy with the way I fought through the first set and in the second, stayed tough when I needed to.'
Venus Williams became the oldest player to win a tour-level singles match for more than two decades when she beat fellow American Peyton Stearns. In a match of 10 service breaks, Williams, 45, won 6-3, 6-4 to become the oldest winner since Martina Navratilova, who was 47 in 2004. It was her first singles victory since August 2023 and books a last-16 clash with Poland's Magdalena Frech, the fifth seed.
The seven-time grand slam singles tournament winner returned to competitive action after 16 months out with a doubles victory alongside Hailey Baptiste on Monday. 'I think it was a big win for me today,' she told the WTA website. 'It won't be easy. It's not easy for anyone out here. So I know I'll have to fight for every match, but I'm up for that.
'There are no limits for excellence. It's all about what's in your head and how much you're able to put into it. If you put in the work mentally, physically, and emotionally, then you can have the result.'
Cameron Norrie completed a notable win over second seed and world No 7 Lorenzo Musetti to book his place in the last 16. Norrie, the world No 41, hit back from losing the opening set to triumph 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 and score his first win over a top 10-ranked player since reaching the quarter-finals at Indian Wells in 2023.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
28 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
NFL superstar Jake Ferguson jokes he still hasn't washed his hands after meeting Taylor Swift
When Dallas Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson got to meet the world's biggest pop star, it's possible that he realized he'd shaken hands with someone who was a 'cowboy like me'. Ferguson, the fiancée of Miami women's basketball star Haley Cavinder, revealed that he recently met pop icon Taylor Swift at a concert earlier in the summer. Speaking to 'The Sweet Spot' on Sportsradio 96.7FM/1310 The Ticket in Texas, Ferguson revealed that he bumped into the 'Cruel Summer' star in Nashville. He was attending 'Tight End University' - the brainchild of Swift's boyfriend Travis Kelce and 49ers tight end George Kittle. Swift shocked everyone in the crowd by getting on stage at what was initially billed as a Kane Brown concert and performing. 'I shook her hand,' Ferguson revealed. 'I still haven't washed my hand.' He continued: 'She's so normal. She met my fiancée, my fiancée was like, 'She's so nice!' Not that I was expecting anything different, but like, she knew football. 'She was talking like, 'We [the Chiefs] got a big game at Cowboys this year!' Swift is very right about that. The Chiefs will be traveling down to Texas to play the Cowboys in a Thanksgiving Day matchup. Ferguson - who is in Oxnard, California for training camp - just recently inked a four-year, $52million contract extension. He'll be hoping the Cowboys find a way to improve upon their poor 2024 season - when an injury to quarterback Dak Prescott led to a 7-10 finish and missing the playoffs.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Shedeur Sanders gets huge boost as rival Cleveland Browns QB Kenny Pickett injures with hamstring
Cleveland Browns quarterback Kenny Pickett will be sidelined because of a hamstring injury - potentially opening the door for Shedeur Sanders to stake his claim. The injury to Pickett is believed to have occurred during a red zone 11-on-11 drill late in Saturday's practice, multiple reports have suggested. Coach Kevin Stefanski is expected to address Pickett's status before Monday's practice. Pickett, 27, will be evaluated later in the week. The Browns have their first padded practice on Monday and go for three straight days until taking Thursday off and then practicing on Friday and Saturday. Pickett's injury means Sanders, who slid down into the fifth round of the NFL Draft earlier this year despite many considering him a top three selection, will get more reps. Until now, he has been maginalized with Joe Flacco and Pickett leading the race to be named the starting QB for the Browns. Dillon Gabriel, another quarterback the Browns drafted this year, is also in the running for the starting spot. Cleveland opens the season on Sept. 7 against Cincinnati. Pickett and Flacco have received most of the snaps with the first team during the first four days of practice. Gabriel got some first-team reps while Sanders' just began getting some second-team work Friday and Saturday. 'I'm not even going to think about that or have that even in my thought process of why it is,' Sanders said on Friday about practicing with the third and fourth team. 'It doesn't make me feel down or it doesn´t make me feel left out or anything because I know who I am as a person. I know who I am as an individual, and I know what I could bring to this team. 'I know whenever I get my opportunity, I've got to maximize it,' he said. 'I just got to think about what I could do to get better even if I´m not getting reps.' After struggling early in the week, Pickett had his best practice on Saturday that included a couple of touchdown passes in red zone drills. The coaching staff likes Pickett's mobility and the ability to create plays on the run. 'Coaches are looking for the guy that´s consistent, that´s the same guy every day that they can count on. They can call any play and they know that we´ll get them out of a bad play,' Pickett said on Thursday. 'If the shots called and it´s not there, we´ll check it down.' Pickett was acquired from Philadelphia in March. A 2022 first-round selection by Pittsburgh, Pickett has 25 career starts with 15 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
The last Lions whitewash?
The Lions have not won a series whitewash for almost a over Australia in the third Test on Saturday will deliver a first clean sweep since their tour of Argentina in Lions, made up of English and Scottish players, won all four Test matches in somewhat humble beginnings for the Pumas. According to the Lions website, external, the River Plate Rugby Union – now Union Argentina de Rugby – recognised those four matches as the first official games of the Argentina national Maro Itoje become the first Lions captain since Scottish lock David MacMyn to lead the tourists to a series whitewash?
