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Marta Kostyuk has stirred up a buzz among tennis fans by saying that Emma Raducanu had a comparatively easier draw in the 2021 US Open than her final opponent Leylah Fernandez.
Raducanu made history at the New York Slam that year, being the first qualifier in the Open Era to win a Grand Slam title. She defeated the likes of Stefanie Vogele, Zhang Shuai, Sara Sorribes Tormo, Shelby Rogers, Belinda Bencic and Maria Sakkari before lifting the trophy with a win over Fernandez in the championship match.
Meanwhile, Fernandez took on opponents like Ana Konjuh, Kaia Kanepi, two-time tournament champion Naomi Osaka, Angelique Kerber, Elina Svitolina and Aryna Sabalenka before facing the Brit.
During a press conference at the ongoing Australian Open, Marta Kostyuk discussed how a player's draw can affect his or her Grand Slam performance, citing the 2021 US Open campaigns of Emma Raducanu and Leylah Fernandez as examples.
"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," Kostyuk 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.
Kostyuk's comments didn't sit well with tennis fans. One X (formerly Twitter) user doubted the Ukrainian's chances of winning a Major, even with a draw as 'easy' as Raducanu's at Flushing Meadows three years ago.
"Marta Kostyuk could have emma’s uso [2021] draw every time for the rest of her career and she’ll still never win a slam," the user wrote.
Another user tweeted:
"She's plain jealous. A player is not responsible for the draw. Not Emma's fault that the seeds lost in early rounds. But to win a GS as a qualifier on your first appearance, that is a helluva achievement. Emma's name will forever be etched in history, while Marta's, well..."
Here are a few more reactions from tennis fans:
Marta Kostyuk will face Coco Gauff in Australian Open 2024 QF
Marta Kostyuk is set to face the reigning US Open champion Coco Gauff in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Australian Open on Tuesday, January 23.
Kostyuk advanced to the quarterfinals by defeating Claire Liu, Elise Mertens, Elina Avanesyan and Maria Timofeeva. On the other hand, Gauff secured her spot in the last eight with victories over Anna Karolina Schmiedlova, Caroline Dolehide, Alycia Parks and Magdalena Frech.
The duo previously faced each other once at the 2022 Adelaide International, where Gauff emerged victorious in three sets.
