Ukrainian duo Elina Svitolina and Marta Kostyuk make strong starts at US Open

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/kostyuk-marta/8CZqQdSa/"]Kostyuk[/a] ‌launched her latest bid for a maiden Grand Slam title by breezing past [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/sanders-storm/WEvLWEdN/"]Hunter[/a] 6-4, 6-1 ‌in the first round.[/p][p]After stumbling at this year's Australian Open, Kostyuk has ‌been in sublime form at the Grand Slams, making the semi-finals of the French ‌Open and Wimbledon to arrive at Flushing Meadows as a genuine contender ‌in the women's draw.[/p][p]The 11th seed got down to business quickly once the match began and powered to a 4-1 lead before overcoming a wobble to close out the first set ‌when Hunter produced a double fault on set ⁠point.[/p][embed guid="e138ab10-7987-402b-8e05-0f100a94bb93" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyOGB8hzWuk" social-type="youtube" /][p]Kostyuk tightened her grip on the clash ‌in the second set, breaking early and never allowing Hunter a route back into ​the match as she wrapped up victory in 67 minutes.[/p][p]"[b]I'm very happy to be back to this amazing place[/b]," Kostyuk said on court.[/p][p]"[b]It's ​not easy to play a qualifier, they've played a whole tournament (already). I'm very happy with my performance today. I try to keep myself grounded. There's still ⁠a long way to go, ​I'm enjoying my tennis[/b]."[/p][p]The 24-year-old faces 2017 champion [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/stephens-sloane/21U8Dqna/"]Sloane Stephens[/a] or [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/tauson-clara/2PPTHPya/"]Clara Tauson[/a] next.[/p][h2]Svitolina cruises[/h2][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/monfils-elina/jyngIesG/"]Svitolina[/a] followed in Kostyuk's footsteps in the evening session with an equally dominant performance, beating Argentine [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/sierra-solana/E5xrmfn5/"]Solana Sierra[/a] 6-1, 6-2 in just 51 minutes.[/p][p]The ninth seed, ‌who reached the U.S. Open semi-finals in 2019, produced an authoritative display to brush aside the world number 91 and begin her campaign on a high.[/p][p]"[b]It was a great match, it was a pleasure playing at night, it brings the best out of me[/b]," Svitolina said on court.[/p][embed guid="d2167253-2433-48cb-82f2-cf723f5a626c" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAG5g-j0kHY\" social-type="youtube" /][p]The 31-year-old arrived in New York after a strong North American hard-court swing and has now won 43 matches this season, with her aggressive game complementing the defensive qualities that have long been a hallmark of her tennis.[/p][p]Svitolina also enjoyed a memorable run in ‌mixed doubles alongside husband [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/monfils-gael/fm7G8o0m/"]Gael Monfils[/a], with the pair reaching the semi-finals before ​losing to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/bencic-belinda/ObGlDvu0/"]Belinda Bencic[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/cobolli-flavio/zDtaCcPe/"]Flavio Cobolli[/a].[/p][p]"[b]It was a great experience. Of ‌course it was nerve-wracking kind of matches and battles. We had some great wins[/b]," she said.[/p][p]"[b]I was a little bit upset with the loss in the semis. But we really enjoyed this battle. It was our first and last time unfortunately[/b]."[/p][p]For 22-year-old Sierra, the night marked her US Open ⁠main-draw debut after qualifying for the ⁠tournament for the first time.[/p][infobox id="3dc51b3a-107f-482b-9173-a97d347ef1b3" /]