Two weeks, two wins: Kostyuk beats Stephens again at US Open

Marta Kostyuk's match against Sloane Stephens at the US Open on Wednesday was full circle in more ways than one.

Fifteen days ago, the Ukrainian got the better of the American at the Cincinnati Open, winning 7-5, 7-5. She did it again on Wednesday, this time 6-1, 7-5, in a match where she let a 6-1, 4-2 lead slip away, saved a set point in the second set and won the final three games.

But it wasn't the first time Kostyuk and Stephens had crossed paths in Flushing Meadows.

"I remember when I was a junior here, I won the doubles title," Kostyuk recalled after the win, "and on the same day, Sloane won the [women's] title, so I have a picture with her in the players’ lounge. So maybe I’m gonna post it today just to honor this match.”

Kostyuk was making more memories this time around. She served eight aces and hit 30 winners -- 20 more than Stephens -- and showed the grit that has taken her to 34 match-wins on the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz this year. She fired down an unreturnable serve to save the set point and later denied Stephens a game point at 5-5 too -- moments she said she was "brave."

“I was a little nervous," Kostyuk said. "I kind of knew what to expect, but I knew she was gonna try to change something. At the same time, I knew how she was playing, and I beat her. But yeah, it’s a different tournament; it’s a Grand Slam."

"I tried to go for my shots and I think it's all that matters in the important moments," she added.

Bidding for a spot in the Round of 16 at the US Open for the second year in a row, Kostyuk will face No. 18 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova next. Alexandrova defeated Australia's Kimberly Birrell 6-1, 2-6, 6-3 in her second round match.