Harriet Dart’s hopes of breaking new ground at the US Open came to a bitter end in the sweltering heat of New York when she lost 7-6 (10), 6-1 to 19th seed Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk in the second round.
Having only reached the third round of a Grand Slam on home soil at Wimbledon, Dart faced Kostyuk, aiming for her best result in New York. The 28-year-old has played some of her best tennis in recent weeks and has worked her way into the top 100 with a career-high ranking of 75. She started Flushing Meadows with a dominant opening win over Frenchwoman Chloé Paquet.
Conditions were oppressive from the start, the 34 degree heat made even worse both on and off the pitch. Both players struggled, and Kostyuk found relief at the changeover by placing ice packs under each thigh and one on her head while the portable air conditioner blasted cold air into her face.
For much of the first set, Dart was clearly the better player against an unpredictable Kostyuk, who was clearly struggling to find her level. As the more solid and composed player in the exchanges, Dart managed an early break and then held it until she served for the set at 5:3. She then served for the set again at 6:5. In the tiebreak, the Brit saved a total of five set points, including three in a row at 6:3.
But while Dart’s defense, consistency and superb ability to redirect the pace from both ends means she can keep up with many elite players from the baseline, her serve is a glaring weakness at the highest level. In the crucial moments of the opening set, her first serve percentage collapsed and her second serves soared over the net at around 65 miles per hour. After finally closing out the set, Kostyuk opened her shoulders, smashed the ball free and marched into the third round.
After advancing to the third round when Alexander Shevchenko retired two sets down, Frances Tiafoe said he had prepared for the heat by taking 20 shirts and three pairs of shoes onto the court. “Try to be overprepared,” he said. “I’m sweating like crazy. What was it like today, 35 degrees outside? Today was crazy.”
after newsletter campaign
“Yeah, I just try to take as much as I can. I have 20 shirts and a bunch of shoes. Honestly, I’m glad I was able to keep everything because I lose everything. So far, I’ve done pretty well, especially in the majors.”
