When Marta Kostyuk and Emma Raducanu were growing up through the junior rankings in the same age brackets at the same time, it was Kostyuk who turned heads with every backhand she struck.
She dominated the age group categories, winning everything as a junior and then swiftly breaking through as a 15-year-old professional. Year after year she remained one step ahead of her contemporaries until just one month ago when two players overtook her at once by reaching the US Open final.
One of those finalists, Emma Raducanu, stood before her on Friday evening as the pair faced each other again. Although the occasion felt more tense than a mere WTA 250, it was Kostyuk who stood up and clinched the victory to reach the semi-final at the Transylvania Open.
The Ukrainian ended Raducanu’s solid run in Cluj-Napoca with a heavy win, beating the US Open champion 6-2 6-1 to reach the semi-final in 59 minutes. The match was a struggle for Raducanu from the very beginning as she squandered three game points in her opening service game before double faulting to give away the break.
As Raducanu looked to take control of the baseline but instead sprayed forehand errors across the court, Kostyuk landed numerous returns, her excellent defence forced more errors from Raducanu and all the while she stepped into the court and struck backhand down-the-line winners at will.
The second set moved away from Raducanu at an even quicker pace. By the beginning of the set Raducanu had lost full control of her serve and she double faulted twice, losing her serve to love. Kostyuk continued to grow stronger, offering no free points as Raducanu hit herself off the court. After double faulting on break point for a third time to give away a double break, Raducanu fought through a final lengthy service game before shanking a backhand wide on match point.
After a solid week in Cluj-Napoca with two good wins Raducanu ends with a heavy loss that further highlights the gulf in experience between herself and even players in her age group. While Kostyuk was also born in 2002, she has played 42 tour-level events including qualifying. Raducanu’s count, including qualifying, is eight.
For a second consecutive tournament as at Indian Wells earlier in the month Raducanu has also been within a win of facing her idol, Simona Halep, before losing. She will now have the opportunity to travel to Bucharest and see her grandmother before she heads to Linz for her final tournament of the season.
Halep, meanwhile, has continued to take positive steps forward at the end of a difficult season as she moved into the semi-finals of the Transylvania Open in Cluj-Napoca, her home tournament, after coolly defeating her countrywoman Jaqueline Cristian 6-1, 6-1 in 67 minutes.
“I tried to do my best today,” said Halep during her on-court interview. “I’ve been motivated and I’m really thankful to be on-court. I treated my back last night and this morning. I did some physio and I felt much better. So, very happy that I could win and go into the semi-finals here in Cluj.” - Guardian
