By Shrivathsa Sridhar
NEW YORK, Aug 30 (Reuters) – Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk launched her latest bid for a maiden Grand Slam title by breezing past Australian qualifier Storm Hunter with a 6-4 6-1 victory in the first round of the U.S. Open on Sunday.
After stumbling at this year’s Australian Open, Kostyuk has been in sublime form at the Grand Slams, making the semi-finals of the French Open and Wimbledon to arrive at Flushing Meadows as a genuine contender in the women’s draw.
The 11th seed got down to business quickly once the match began and powered to a 4-1 lead before overcoming a wobble to close out the first set when Hunter produced a double fault on set point.
Kostyuk tightened her grip on the clash in the second set, breaking early and never allowing Hunter a route back into the match as she wrapped up victory in 67 minutes.
“I’m very happy to be back to this amazing place,” Kostyuk said on court.
“It’s not easy to play a qualifier, they’ve played a whole tournament (already). I’m very happy with my performance today. I try to keep myself grounded. There’s still a long way to go, I’m enjoying my tennis.”
The 24-year-old faces 2017 champion Sloane Stephens or Clara Tauson next.
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in New YorkEditing by Toby Davis)
