Fed Cup: Marta Kostyuk surprises Australia

In World Group II, the favourite Australians and the Ukraine are 1:1 – because teenage sensation Marta Kostyuk surprisingly won.

Kostyuk, currently the world’s number 185, won against Daria Gavrilova, who was listed on 26th place, 7-6, (3), 6-3 and equalled with it. Earlier, Ashleigh Barty (No. 16) had led the Australians by beating double specialist Lyudmiya Kichenok (single No. 883)4-6,6-1,6-4.

“I play good tennis,”Kostyuk said afterwards, but didn’t want to hear about another tennis fairy tale:”It’s more like a fairy tale when it happens all of a sudden and you don’t know if it will work again. At the beginning of the year, the 15-year-old had surprised her with a third-round move from the Quali in Melbourne and just recently won the ITF-Future in Bernie. At the beginning of the season she was still in 521st place in the world.

Barty, on the other hand, had to fight harder than expected – also because she was responsible for the choice of the pitch and chose her favourite surface:”I didn’t want to say:’ Up, let’s play on grass!’ – and then don’t deliver.”

In Canberra, the Australians are considered clear favourites after Ukraine’s top players Elina Svitolina and Lesia Tsurenko cancelled their participation.