Sabalenka begins French Open bid with win over fiery Kostyuk
Belarus’s Aryna Sabalenka took her time to get going before easing into the second round of the French Open with a comfortable 6-3, 6-2 win over Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk in a feisty encounter yesterday.
World No 2 Sabalenka prevailed in a match for which the build-up had been overshadowed by the continuing sporting fallout from the war in Ukraine. Sabalenka had said on the eve of their clash that she understood if Kostyuk felt “hate” towards a player from Belarus – a country aligned with Russia.
However, the 25-yearold was unfazed on Court Philippe-Chatrier, winning 10 of the last 12 games to reach the second round. After the match, Kostyuk walked quickly to her chair, ignoring her opponent before Sabalenka bowed to the crowd as boos echoed around the stadium.
“It was a very tough match emotionally. I thought you guys were against me but I then really felt your support,” the Australian Open champion said on court after the match. She has the chance to take Iga Swiatek’s world No 1 spot at Roland Garros.
Sabalenka appeared to be in some trouble on serve early on and fell behind 2-3, but the unseeded Kostyuk could not build on her advantage and the Belarusian struck back immediately with a crosscourt volley on break point.
The second seed wrapped up the first set in style before pouncing in the next with an early break and another to go up 4-1. Sabalenka raised her level again late in the match to save two break points and close out the victory in 71 minutes against the 20-yearold Kostyuk, ranked 39th in the world.