‘My Parents Are Still There’- Marta Kostyuk Comes Out of Australian Open High With a Stinging Reality Check

Earlier today American tennis star, Coco Gauff ended the dream run of Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk at the QF of the Australian Open. After a hard-fought 3-hour and 8-minute battle, Gauff defeated Kostyuk by 7-6(6),6-7(3),6-2 at the Rod Laver Arena to make her way to the SF of the tournament. What did the players say after this epic encounter?

Marta Kostyuk spoke about her family in Ukraine after her Australian Open QF defeat to Gauff. She revealed although she was physically present in Australia. But her mind was somewhere else.

Marta Kostyuk believes the Ukrainian girls did well in this year’s Australian Open

Both Kostyuk and Gauff were appearing in the Australian Open quarterfinals for the first time in their careers. This was in fact the Ukrainian’s deepest run ever at any major tournament. Although she lost the match, Kostyuk later on shared her thoughts when she was asked if her incredible performance in the AO had drawn media attention in Ukraine yet again.

Here’s what she said in her post-match interview, “I think so. I think girls did really well. I hope, you know, we will be able to succeed on most of the tournaments, especially the big ones where there is a lot of media. Yeah, I think people should be reminded. I walk off the court — before the match I was looking at the news and I kind of guess that most likely there would be a big missile shelling again.“

Kostyuk went on to add, “When I walked off the court, I look at this news again, and again, I don’t know how many missiles yet. It’s still too fresh. But yeah, I was texting with some people from Kyiv. I said, How is it? How are you guys? They said, Well, we were looking between your score and where the missiles are flying. So it’s still there. It’s still there. My parents are still there. My daughter — “my daughter,” wow, wow, wow, “my daughter.” Wow. No. My sister is still there (smiling). Yeah, it’s still there, you know. Still not gone.“

READ MORE: Ukrainian WTA Star Marta Kostyuk Exposes US Open’s Blunder as She Demands Media to be More Responsible

With this win against the world number 37, Coco Gauff has now reached the semi-finals of the Grand Slams for the third time in her career. What did the 19-year-old Floridan have to say after the match?

Coco Gauff heaps praise on Kostyuk

Coco Gauff hasn’t yet dropped a set at the Australian Open this year. She has conceded just 11 games on her way to the last eight of the AO. Here’s what Gauff said after the match, “I’m happy, really proud of the fight I showed. Marta is a tough opponent and always makes it hard. I fought and left it all on the court.”

Talking about her performance she went on to add, “I was just trying to get one more game in the first set, make it competitive, and then one game turned into another. In the second, I gave myself opportunities but became a little bit passive and when I came out in the third I was just trying to play aggressive and hit through the court.”

Coco Gauff will now take on her next opponent at their semifinal clash on Thursday. How long do you think Gauff can extend her incredible run at the Australian Open this year?

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