SUMMARY
- Marta Kostyuk's husband wore a cap to the match against Gauff.
- Coco has seemingly replied to the slight dig after defeating Marta.
After an exciting first week at the Australian Open, the second week of the tournament also looks very promising. American teenage sensation Coco Gauff has booked her spot in the semifinals in Melbourne for the first time. While the match itself had a lot of talking points, it was Marta Kostyuk’s husband’s cap that stole the spotlight.
Coco took on the Ukrainian star Kostyuk in the highly anticipated quarterfinal clash. It was probably Coco’s messiest match so far, but she somehow managed to hold on. Kostyuk fought valiantly, and her fans showed up in droves to support her, but in the end, Gauff walked away with the victory.
As the momentum of the match swung wildly between the two, one hilarious moment stood out. Kostyuk‘s husband, Heorhii Sudakov, tuned up in a cap with the phrase “SHAKE YOUR COCOS” written on it.
Marta’s husband with the ‘SHAKE YOUR COCOS’ cap 💀 pic.twitter.com/VCHgR6Jr8n
— Bastien Fachan (@BastienFachan) January 23, 2024
Sudakov was captured wearing the cap during a particularly tense moment. Kostyuk was on the verge of a loss in the second set when the cameras panned to her husband. Fans have not taken to it kindly, however, and many think it was quite rude of him. Here are a few reactions to it.
I have questions 🥴??? What is this supposed to mean?? https://t.co/A07yGYdJAS
— Coco is a slam winner (@PhogoleW) January 23, 2024
Cough I swear if u don’t beat her ass https://t.co/wMDn90Pyop
— Dany🦕 (@cheesy_Fritters) January 23, 2024
Gauff, on the other hand, saw the humor in it and seemingly answered back to Sudakov. She took to Instagram Stories to share a reel of the match and captioned it “Shakey Shake.”
Coco Gauff will take this rather difficult victory in stride. She dug her heels in and relied on her experience to walk away victorious against Kostyuk.
Coco Gauff vs. Marta Kostyuk at the Australian Open
The teen secured her place in the Australian Open semifinals for the first time in her career. Gauff staged a remarkable comeback when she was horrendously trailing 1-5 in the opening set. Not only did she clinch the opening set, but Coco also managed to defeat Kostyuk 7-6(6), 6-7(3), 6-2.
They kicked off proceedings by holding on to their serves. However, Kostyuk managed to break Gauff early on and had the opportunity to close out the set. Kostyuk unfortunately hit several unforced errors, which allowed Gauff to capitalize on them. The match went into a tiebreak, with the US Open champion relying on her experience to claim the set.
Who’s ready for a third set 🙋♂️🙋♀️@marta_kostyuk rallies from 3-5 in the second set & forces a decider with Gauff at 6-7(6) 7-6(3)!#AusOpen • #AO2024 pic.twitter.com/zLrbvx6NnC
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 23, 2024
Marta took control in the second set, but Gauff engaged her in long rallies to enforce errors. Both players went toe-to-toe, but Kostyuk showed great resilience to drag the match into another tiebreak.
As the match went into a decider, Marta seemed to have run out of fuel. After a long first game, Gauff managed to break the Ukrainian. The teen finally sealed her spot in the semifinals.
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Coco Gauff will be playing her first semifinal at Melbourne Park this year. She has yet to lose a single match this season. Gauff will take on the defending champion, Aryna Sabalenka, next.