Kostyuk Sets the Tone Ahead of Her New Clash Against Sabalenka: "She Admitted She Did It on Purpose"

Marta Kostyuk will face world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka tonight in Rome, just as she did two weeks ago in Madrid.

The Belarusian narrowly prevailed in their last encounter (7-6, 7-6), which was marked by a rain delay that Sabalenka herself requested. It happened during the second tie-break, when she was trailing 5-4 and after missing her first serve, that she decided to stop the match due to raindrops. A unilateral decision that greatly displeased Kostyuk.

During a press conference ahead of their match in Rome, the Ukrainian revisited the controversial interruption:

"We considered reaching out to the WTA to ask for some clarifications. Maybe we’ll be able to discuss it during Roland Garros. Though it won’t change anything now. Situations like this are tricky. No matter what the rules say, it’s impossible for the chair umpire to change their mind.

Everything happens in a split second. If Sabalenka had stopped the point before her first serve, I wouldn’t have had a problem. But the point had already started, and at that moment, she had no right to stop it.

The most absurd part is that she admitted she did it on purpose to avoid a double fault. I have a lot of questions and no answers. But that’s how it is sometimes. Now, she has to live with that decision (laughs)."