She ended up here by chance, and now she dictates her own rules
Ukrainian tennis player Yulia Starodubtseva continues her triumphant march at the prestigious WTA 500 tournament in Charleston, USA. By defeating the home player, the Ukrainian set a personal achievement.
RBC-Ukraine reports this, citing the match result.
Also read: Surpassing the Italian and aiming for the top: Svitolina stunned with a new status in the rankings
Triumph over Kessler and revenge for past defeats
In the quarterfinals of the Credit One Charleston Open, the 24-year-old Ukrainian, ranked 89th in the world, faced American McCartney Kessler (WTA 53).
Until this point, the head-to-head statistics favored the American, but Starodubtseva managed to even the score in their encounters.
The match lasted 1 hour and 38 minutes. In the first set, Yulia showed her character, managing to take the lead after a series of break exchanges and closing the set in her favor – 6:4.
The second set started for the Ukrainian at 0:2, but she won four games in a row, seizing the initiative. Despite losing the first match point,
Starodubtseva confidently brought the match to victory – 6:4, 6:4.
During the match, Yulia made only one double fault and converted 4 out of 10 break points.
Emotions after victory and the tournament path
After the match, the Ukrainian couldn’t hold back her emotions, as her participation in the main draw was initially in question.
“Honestly, I have no words. I was supposed to play in the qualifiers, but I was lucky to make it into the main draw. And now I’m just happy to be here and to take every chance I had this week,” Starodubtseva commented on her success.
She also added that she was well aware of her opponent’s level from her time competing for American colleges.
“I knew she was a good player. I knew that today I needed to step up and play aggressively, and I think I did that pretty well today,” the tennis player noted.
Personal record in the rankings and next opponent
This victory was historic for Starodubtseva. Previously, she had reached the quarterfinals four times but was able to overcome this barrier for the first time at the WTA level in Charleston.
Thanks to her advancement to the semifinals, Yulia will update her personal best in the WTA rankings.
On Monday, she will rise to at least the 62nd position, marking a jump of 27 spots compared to the start of the week.
In the next round, the Ukrainian will face experienced American Madison Keys (WTA 18).
The match is scheduled for April 4, starting no earlier than 21:30 Kyiv time.
“Thank you for the questions, but I will try to enjoy this victory a bit. Yes, it’s definitely exciting, as Madison Keys is a great opponent, and as I said, I was lucky to be here, although it’s not just luck; I’ve worked for this. But yes, I’m looking forward to the match with Madison,” the tennis player concluded.
Earlier, we reported how Angelina Kalinina lost her title in Croatia after a streak of 14 consecutive wins.
