Marta Kostyuk just defeated Anastasia Potapova with a spectacular score of 6-0, 7-5 to advance to the Indian Wells semifinals. While many athletes draw inspiration from other sports personalities, today Kostyuk was looking at one of television’s best lawyers. No, not Jack McCoy or Saul Goodman, but Harvey Specter!
The Suits superstar, played by Gabriel Macht, is undoubtedly among the top in the TV attorney world, and Kostyuk, whose exceptional display of unbeatable skills and determination just won her a game, is a huge fan. Here’s what she revealed in the post-match interview about her inspiration off-court.
Marta Kostyuk on playing “the wind” in her match against Potapova
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Marta Kostyuk, who made it to the quarterfinals of the WTA 1000 tournament for the first time in her career, will play in the semi-finals against Iga świątek in the next match for the tournament. Her major win in the match displayed her firm determination and in the post-match interview, she revealed why she was following Harvey Specter’s mindset. “You know, whoever watches suits knows that Harvey Spector said, ‘I don’t play the odds; I play the man.'”
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Much like New York City’s famous lawyer, Kostyuk focused on understanding and manipulating her opponent’s approach rather than just relying on statistical probabilities or conventional strategies. Today I was not playing the man, I was playing the wind,” she said after her match.
It went on for 1 hour and 10 minutes, where the Ukrainian player served one valley, had four double faults, and utilized 7 of 10 breakpoints. Having displayed such a brilliant performance on the court, Marta Kostyuk also recognized and acknowledged the challenges that her opponent posed in front of her.
Kostyuk’s tricky opponent on-court in the Indian Wells
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Apart from discussing her inspiration off the court, Marta Kostyuk also talked about the struggles that she faced while playing against the Russian player, Anastasia Potapova. “Anastasia is a very tricky opponent. She always fights, so I tried to stay there till the end. It was not easy when she was getting back in the game.”
Fans have witnessed their on-court rivalry twice before their encounter in the Indian Wells. Anastasia Potapova has won two of those encounters, one in Miami and the other in Birmingham, both occurring in 2023. But this was Kostyuk’s victory!
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As Marta Kostyuk moves on to the next round of the competition, her journey inspires and motivates ambitious athletes worldwide, showing that everything is achievable with persistence and self-belief.
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