Key events<\/p>\n
I wonder if Kostyuk was a little one-note in that second set, looking to do the same thing against an opponent doing different things; she might want to vary angle, spin and trajectory a little more; she can\u2019t just hit through the ball, I don\u2019t think. But successive errors from Svitolina give her 0-30 without demanding she make a change, then an inside-out backhand on to the line raises three break points, the first two saved quickly but the third offering her a second serve, so she steps right into court. And this time, the ball arrives into the slot, a backhand monstered down the line for 1-0; can she endorse to take command of this decider?<\/p>\n
Share<\/a>Elina Svitolina takes the second set against Marta Kostyuk 6-2<\/p>\n Now Kostyuk is the one sent skittering about the court, netting a forehand for 15-all then, at 40-30, Svitolina hits lines, a backhand volley slice on to the side too good and raising deuce; she\u2019s two points away from the set. But a lovely half-volley, Kostyuk adjusting by putting two hands on the racket for more control, gives her advantage \u2026 then Svitolina collars a backhand, swatting flat and cross to restore parity in the game. Then, when Kostyuk makes advantage, her wrong-footing backhand hits the net, after which she goes long on fore, donating set point \u2026 burned via dumped return. Again, though, Kostyuk errs \u2013 she\u2019s being rushed, I think, thanks to Svito hitting earlier and harder \u2013 and another mistake means we\u2019re going to a decider. Good!<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n A double hands Kostyuk 15-all, but Svitolina climbs into the next point with brutal forehands; she\u2019s now standing a bit closer to the baseline and hitting the all earlier, as she does in making 40-15. Kostyuk isn\u2019t making much impression on her serve now, and she holds for 5-2, a game away from forcing the decider we and this contest deserve.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n At 15-0, a net cord gives Svitolina parity, then Kostyuk outlasts her from the back before a double takes us to 30-all. From there, though, a tame return into the net followed a pair of intimidating forehands secure the hold, and a 6-3 2-4 lead.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Exactly what Kostyuk needs, a straightforward hold to 15 with Svitolina back serving almost as soon as she stopped. And, at 15-0, Kostyuk makes her do all sorts to win the next point an excellent volley finishing it, then a service winner making 40-0 before the game is secured to 15. Kostyuk leads 6-3 1-4.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Svitolina holds to 15 and, for the first time in the match, she\u2019s the better player, trailing 3-6 3-0. She might just\u2019ve found the balance, upping the power without being reckless, while Kostyuk isn\u2019t hitting quite as consistently as before.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Down 0-15, Kostyuk keeps hitting, but goes long with a forehand, then Svitolina opens a up the next point with a weapons-grade backhand \u2026 only to miss her drive-volley clean-up, not for the first time; 15-30. That is, I think, due at least in part to the pressure she\u2019s under, Kostyuk\u2019s ability to run almost anything down and hit winners from almost anywhere inciting her to go for more but, caught at net at 30-all, she does enough with her volleys to raise break point. And a forehand dragged wide converts it for her, Svitolina down 3-6 but up 2-0; has momentum switched?<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Svitolina makes 30-0 but Kostyuk is all over her second serves, caning one back down the line for a winner than quickly making 30-all. A fine point follows, Svitolina eventually putting away a forehand volley, but the most noticeable aspect of it is how many times she had to win it, Kostyuk\u2019s speed and movement, then skill when she gets to the ball, keeping the rally going \u2013 and as a contest, too. We wind up at deuce, then a pair of forehands earn Svitolina advantage, and this time when asked to serve a second time, she doesn\u2019t dial-down the power by as much, facilitating a forehand winner for 3-6 1-0.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Kostyuk wins the first set against Svitolina 6-3<\/p>\n Svitolina makes 0-15 but then nets a volley on the stretch and the next rally is all Kostyuk, the precision of her footwork a product of the gymnastics she did in her youth and constantly getting her to the ball in good time and position to unload. But at 30-all she sends down a double \u2026 saving break-back point with a serve out wide. I really like her shot-selection so far today \u2013 if she misses, she misses, but she going for the right things \u2013 but then Svitolina plays a fine point, eventually finishing it following more defensive excellence from Kostyuk. And the younger woman again saves break point before again illustrating the power differential, a succession of booming groundstrokes taking her close to the set. Svitolina, though, finds a lovely drop which helps her restore deuce \u2026 but from there, Kostyuk closes out a hugely impressive 6-3 set. Playing her first grand slam semi, against an older compatriot who inspired her, with a history of struggling under pressure, she might\u2019ve taken time to settle, but instead, fortified with the confidence of 15 wins on the spin, she\u2019s attacked it like it\u2019s hers and if she keeps doing what she\u2019s doing, it\u2019s hard to see how she loses.<\/p>\n Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine plays a forehand. Photograph: Matthew Stockman\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a007.36 EDT<\/p>\n Kostyuk makes 0-15 but then thwacks a swing-volley wide; the match remains on her racket, but that\u2019s as much the case when she\u2019s sending backhands into the net, as she does here, than when she\u2019s hitting winners. \u201cHit through the ball,\u201d says her coach, and have a look at what she does next, exactly that; you can\u2019t be tentative against anyone, all the more so when power is in your favour. And it doesn\u2019t just work for her, but against Svitolina who, next rally, is incited to go for more and misses; seconds later it\u2019s 30-40 and break point. That\u2019s saved, but then a big forehand sets up a pair of overheads, the second dispatched for advantage, and when a desperate return offers a swing-volley putaway, the pressure tells and Svitolina gives it too much. Kostyuk leads 5-3, and if trusts herself while handling the situation, she should win this match.<\/p>\n Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk in action. Photograph: St\u00e9phane Mah\u00e9\/ReutersShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a007.09 EDT<\/p>\n Oooh, without doing too much Svitolina makes 0-30 and is well up in the next rally, but a terrific get, a forehand squash-shot from corner to corner, sets up the forehand winner \u2026 only for a double to donate break-backs points at 15-40. And only one is required, a backhand down the line slices fractionally wide; without playing especially well, Svitolina is back on serve at 3-4. Can she build on that, or will the pattern remain the same?<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n The way this set is going, the only way Svito can win it is if Kostyuk gets nervous, and at 30-15, we see a point that illustrates the point, the difference in power and anticipation allowing a simple putaway at net. Oh, and a netted backhand offers the chance for a double break, Kostyuk stepping miles inside the baseline to attack a second serve. But when she doesn\u2019t do enough with it, the riposte is sent to her ankles, and from there, Svitolina closes out a vital hold which keeps her in the set at 2-4.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Svitolina makes 0-15, but a service winner levels the game then, at 30-15, Kostyuk waits for one that sits up on the clay, then creams a backhand winner down the line. But she\u2019s not the only one who can hit big shots, a cross-court return flying past her for 30-40, then an error donating deuce. Svitolina will know her younger opponent isn\u2019t used to this kind of pressure and looks to up it by coming to net, but the approach doesn\u2019t ask any questions, so Kostyuk passes her cross-court \u2013 she\u2019s been excellent in that aspect so far today, aggressive without overhitting, and quickly closes out to lead 4-1 in the first. So far, she\u2019s handling the opponent and situation perfectly, targeting the forehand and letting her hands go.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Svitolina needs to get herself into the match and she makes 30-0 in short order, then constructs a really good point, hitting lines as she sends Kostyuk nashing about the court from side to side. She holds to love and seems to have realised that in order to win this, she needs to hit harder \u2013 otherwise she\u2019ll spend the match on the defensive, hoping her opponent misses. Kostyuk leads 3-1.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Kostyuk\u2019s third-round win over Swiatek will have given her enormous confidence, the first time she\u2019d beaten a top player at a slam. It was only a couple of days ago, but it feels like there\u2019s more authority in her play now, the way she\u2019s rallying marked by composure and patience. At 30-all, she finds a nice backhand slice that helps her to game point, and she puts the next one together nicely too, only to direct a slice into the net; deuce. For all the good it does Svitolina, Kostyuk rushing towards her consolidation and a 3-0 lead, dominating the match so far.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n And she unloads immediately, making 15-30, then hauling a backhand cross-court and on to the sideline, raising two break points. I like the loop she\u2019s getting on her forehand, which is pushing Svitolina back, and when the defensive lob comes, she confidently spanks her overhead into the corner \u2013 as her opponent could not \u2013 to lead 2-0.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Behind in the first rally, Kostyuk tries a lob, not an especially good one \u2026 and Svitolina flaps her overhead long. A service winner follows, then a return hooked wide, and when the younger woman reads an attempted putaway, she\u2019s able to direct a forehand winner cross-court to secure the love hold. That\u2019s an impressive start for a player playing the most important match of her career, and I\u2019d expect her to attack Svitolina\u2019s serve and see how she reacts to the pressure.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Kostyuk will serve, ready \u2026 play.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Svitolina and Kostyuk are out, competing to become the first Ukrainian to reach the last four of this competition. Both of them are in terrific nick, Kostyuk with the bigger game and the higher ceiling, but for the same reason, the lower floor, while Svitolina has experience and equilibrium on her side. Now that you ask, I\u2019m leaning Kostyuk, but Chrissy has gone Svito; I\u2019ll leave it to you to decide which of the two of us knows more about tennis.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n I especially enjoyed the cleanliness of Andreeva\u2019s hitting \u2013 her timing today was beautiful, a facility of her confidence. She committed to her aggression from the first ball, but the question now is how that works against someone able to do likewise or turn it against her.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Coming up next: Elina Svitolina (7) v Marta Kostyuk (15).<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Andreeva says it\u2019s always tough against Cirstea \u2013 last time they played and also when they practise, as they\u2019ve done a fair bit. She knew the match wouldn\u2019t be easy and would take all her focus and intensity, against an opponent who\u2019d look to be aggressive and pressure her whenever she could, so she\u2019s glad she was able to get in first.<\/p>\n Fabrice tells her the first time he saw her play, aged 16, and he was very impressed with her understanding of the game, and she explains that she never learnt how to play, she was just always excited to be on court. She assumed everyone read the game and didn\u2019t think the way she did it was anything special, she just always knew which decision to make, though sometimes when she\u2019s nervous they\u2019re not always good; today, though, everything was on point.<\/p>\n Asked why she thanks herself when she wins titles, she laughs that originally it was something she\u2019d heard Snoop Dogg say when receiving an award, that she pinched as a gag, but now she thinks about it, she knows it\u2019s true \u2013 you need to thank yourself for the work you do and sacrifices you make so she wants to tell herself every time.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Ultimately, if you can\u2019t outhit Andreeva, you\u2019ve got a very big problem, and Cirstea could not. Even so, the performance was close to perfect and felt like a step forward, destroying a wily, confident veteran with apparent ease; she\u2019s growing in front of our eyes, the question now whether she can dominate against other members of the elite. I can\u2019t wait to find out, and here she is\u2026<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Mirra Andreeva (8) beats Sorana Cirstea (18) 6-0 6-3<\/p>\n A majestic, mature performance from Andreeva, locked-in from the start and ruthless to the end, a forehand winner to the corner securing the win. She\u2019s into her second grand slam semi and will face the winner of our next match between Svitolina and Kostyuk.<\/p>\n Mirra Andreeva celebrates her victory at the end of her women’s quarter final singles match against Romania’s Sorana Cirstea. Photograph: Julien de Rosa\/AFP\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a006.49 EDT<\/p>\n Cirstea knows the jig is bust, going for everything because what else can she do. But an error hands over 15-30 and a backhand winner down the line raises two match points.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Sure enough, Andreeva breaks to 15, and she\u2019s enjoying herself out there. Her backhand, in particular, is a delightful shot, but it\u2019s her footwork and ability to change pace and direction with her shots that makes her special; her tennis IQ has been there, more or less, since the start \u2013 it\u2019s just about building the strength and experience to go with it. She breaks, consolidates, and at 6-0 5-3 is now a game away, Cirstea doing all she can, but powerless against the onslaught.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Cirstea, though, isn\u2019t going away, making 0-30, then at 15-30 Andreeva comes in and stretches for a putaway, sending it wide. And though she saves the first break point with a backhand winner, she then nets a forehand and that\u2019s the break back for 0-6 3-3. In comms, Chrissy points out that a dip was always likely because it\u2019s not possible to play as well as Andreeva was for an entire match, and that\u2019s true \u2013 though, at the same time, it\u2019s impossible not to think about how ridiculously Sabalenka performed last evening, against a far superior opponent, and wonder if that\u2019s what it\u2019ll take to challenge the world no 1.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Andreeva\u2019s ability to explode from the off is extremely impressive, a statement that tells Cirstea \u2013 and the rest of the field \u2013 that she\u2019s ready, the serious stuff beginning now. Only the best can do that, cycling through the gears at will, and she holds easily then, from 15-all, plays a gorgeous half-volley that has Conchita Martinez, her coach, almost eating her own face in delighted smiles, then two definitive groundstrokes secure the break as if she\u2019d simply decided it was time. This is very impressive behaviour, perhaps the most commanding i\u2019ve ever seen her at this stage of a slam, and she leads 6-0 3-2.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n If Cirstea can keep holding, the set\u2019ll come down to a few points here and there, but up 40-15 she invites pressure by going long on the forehand \u2026 then closes out the game with a serve out wide and clean-up swing-volley. Andreeva leads 6-0 1-2.<\/p>\n Romania’s Sorana Cirstea in action. Photograph: St\u00e9phanie Lecocq\/ReutersShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a005.53 EDT<\/p>\n This is, of course, a sad day for all ADHD-types \u2013 no longer can our eyes dart around three or four screens, various matches compartmentalised into various parts of brain, while merging into one in another. But what an opportunity to hyper-focus and fully immerse into what we hope will be a succession of epics \u2026 in which regard Cirstea has closed from 40-0 to 40-30 with the help of a lovely backhand winner and a double, then Andreeva goes long and do we got ourselves a ball-game? Er, well a forehand winner is followed by an ace \u2013 the umpire has to check the mark as both players thought it was wide \u2013 and we\u2019re level at 1-1 in set two.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Ah, and Cirstea is on the board, a hold sparing her the embarrassment of a double bagel. But can she compete?<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a005.43 EDT<\/p>\n In the time since play started, Andreeva has imposed herself, a bagel set putting her in complete control; the roof is closed.<\/p>\n