Marta Kostyuk won her first career WTA title at age 20 by defeating Russian Varvara Gracheva 6-3, 7-5 in the ATX Open final, then dedicated the victory to her home country of Ukraine.
The eighth-seeded Kostyuk and the unseeded Gracheva, a 22-year-old, did not meet at the net for the traditional post-match handshake.
Kostyuk has said she will not do so, after facing any opponents from Russia, which began its invasion of Ukraine more than a year ago, or from Belarus, which has helped launch the attack on her home country.
Most of Kostyuk's family are in the Ukraine capital, Kyiv, while she travels from tournament to tournament.
"Being in the position that I am in right now, it's extremely special to win this title," Kostyuk said during the trophy ceremony at the inaugural edition of the hard-court tournament in the Texas capital, "and I want to dedicate this title to Ukraine and to all the people [who] are fighting and dying right now".
When Gracheva sailed a forehand long to end the match after one and a half hours on Sunday, local time, Kostyuk — who trailed 5-3 in the second set and saved a set point at 5-4 — dropped to her knees at the baseline, put her hands on her face and sobbed.
"Obviously," said Kostyuk, who was the junior champion at the 2017 Australian Open, "it's a very special moment, no matter when it happens."
"I said at the draw ceremony this feels like a home tournament [for me] here, and a lot of people came here and supported me."
Both players were participating in a tour-level title match for the first time, and they combined for 13 breaks of serve — eight by Kostyuk — and 14 double-faults. Both won fewer than 50 per cent of points on serve.
There were only two aces, both by Gracheva, including one that gave her a set point at 5-4, 40-30. However, she wasted that chance to force a third set by pushing a forehand wide.
The 88th-ranked Gracheva — who eliminated number one seed Magda Linette and 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens earlier in the tournament — put another forehand into the net to face a break point.
Kostyuk converted it by ending a 16-shot exchange with a forehand volley winner.
Coming into the day ranked 52nd, Kostyuk then held to 6-5 with the help of an underhand serve, before capping a four-game, match-closing run with yet another break.
She is the third, first-time champion on the women's tour in 2023.
AP/ABC
