On Sunday, January 14, a new Grand Slam tournament started in Melbourne. Seven Ukrainian women appeared in the main draw of the women’s tournament Australian Open-2024; it is a record.
Four out of seven
However, only four managed to overcome the first round. Elina Svitolina and Marta Kostyuk had no problems with their opponents, while Lesia Tsurenko returned against Lucia Bronzetti. Dayana Yastremska surprised the audience most of all.
The Odesa player did not just pass the clear favorite Marquet Vondrouchov. The Wimbledon champion managed to take only three games from Dayana! But Angelina Kalinina, Daria Snigur, and Yulia Starodubtseva have left the competition.
And if the favorites knocked out the last two, then Kalinina’s loss to Dutchwoman Roos is a real sensation. The native of Nova Kakhovka won just one game against the 45th WTA ranking number.
Continuation of the competition
On Wednesday, January 17, the second round of the main draw of the Australian Open began.
Lesia Tsurenko was the first Ukrainian to play in the 1/32 finals. Her opponent was the Spaniard Rebeca Masarova, ranked 91st in the world. The two players crossed paths for the first time on the court, and the Ukrainian won a convincing, albeit challenging, victory in two sets. The match lasted just over an hour and a half.
The Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk will face the 28th-ranked Elise Mertens in the next game. It was the second face-to-face meeting between the rivals. Thanks to the dramatic victory, Marta equalized her personal score and made it to the 1/16 finals of the Australian major.
