Things didn’t go as planned for Marta Kostyuk. The Ukrainian, who reached the quarterfinals of the 2024 Australian Open, returned to Melbourne for another shot at having a smooth run. But fate had other plans.

On Sunday, Kostyuk took the first set off her R1 opponent, Elsa Jacquemot, 7-6, and dropped the second set. As the battle stretched to a decider, she came out swinging, determined to take control. But at 5-6 (30-0), a nasty fall turned the tide. The Ukrainian, seeded 20, rolled her ankle and had to call for the physio.

Even then, Kostyuk refused to surrender. She forced a third-set tiebreak, fighting through the pain in a thrilling display of resilience. But Elsa Jacquemot edged her out in a marathon finish. The Frenchwoman prevailed 6–7(4), 7–6(4), 7–6(7) in the first-ever triple-tiebreak match in Australian Open history during the Open Era. The gripping battle stretched over 3 hours and 31 minutes, the longest match of this year’s tournament so far.

This is a developing story…