Kasatkina and Kostyuk and get first round wins in Cincinnati

Opportunity Kostyuk

Marta Kostyuk has basically 0 points to defend this summer, losing in the 1st round of Montreal, Cincinnati, and the US Open last year

So, this year, the Ukrainian is racking up wins and zipping up the rankings

Kostyuk outlasts Elise Mertens, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 pic.twitter.com/BkXY1JuJSM

— Tick Tock Tennis (@TickTockTennis) August 13, 2024

9th seed Daria Kasatkina got off to a good start in Cincinnati today when she defeated Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-4, 6-2. Likewise, 15th seed Marta Kostyuk defeated Elise Mertens 6-4, 2-6, 6-4. 

A couple of qualifiers also won their first round matches. Varvara Gracheva defeated Ajia Tomljanovic, and Ashlyn Krueger upset 16 seed (and Olympic silver medal winner) Donna Vekic. Toward the end of the second set, Vekic had to be treated for heat illness. Krueger went on to win the match, 5-7, 7-6(4), 6-2.

3rd seed Aryna Sabalenka spent some time with the media this afternoon. The 3rd seed talked about memorable matches she had played in Cincinnati. She said that almost every match she had played here here "was a high level match." She recalled going three sets against Shelby Rogers, and also playing a tough match against her close friend, Paula Badosa: "...problaby my first match against her." Sabalenka also recalled playing a well-fought match against Madison Keys. It was her first time to play Keys, and, she said, "I was really impressed with her forehand."

I recall another thrilling match that Sabalenka played in Cincinnati--her first of only two losses against Maria Sakkari, in 2019, when Sakkari defeated her 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-4.

"You gotta have this short memory…just keep moving, keep working hard, keep improving…” Sabalenka said about the hard grind of the tour. “I think it’s really good that I have tennis. I have something to keep me distracted and keep me away from all those tough challenges in life.”

The 3rd seed is currently recovering from an injury. She said that, as a young player, “you have to build that base so that you’re gonna be physically strong and your body will be ready for all that stress that you’re gonna face in your career.” Now that she’s been injured, she and her physical coach have done some improvements in her warmups to make sure that her body is always warm and active. 

Someone asked Sabalenka what she would say to people, including children, to get them to watch professional tennis. In typical Aryna fashion, her first words were: "I would say just stay home and chill out!" Then she became serious, and said that she would tell people that professional tennis is now played at such a high level--even the practice sessions--that they should take a look.

Also talking with the media was Toronto champion Jessica Pegula, who just won that tournament as the defending champion. She acknowledged that being the defending champion brought about more pressure "because everyone keeps talking about it," but that it's also very motivating. 

Pegula had to make a quick trip from Paris to Toronto: "I think it almost helped me--I didn't have time to think about how I was feeling."

The Toronto champion didn't play many tournaments in the spring because of injuries, so she's focusing on the Asian swing, after she plays the U.S. Open. "I feel pretty good, actually. I keep saying it looks like a bad year, yet I won a 500 and a 1000."