Marta Kostyuk beat Ashlyn Krueger 6-4, 6-4 on No.2 Court on Monday to reach her first Wimbledon quarterfinal. The 12th seed needed straight sets to end the run of the last qualifier left in the women’s draw.
The win extends a season that keeps getting bigger for the Ukrainian. She reached her first Grand Slam semifinal at Roland Garros this year and won a WTA 1000 title in Madrid. Grass was the one surface where her results lagged. Not anymore.
A second week that was a long time coming
Kostyuk had never been past the third round at Wimbledon before this year. She broke that wall with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-1 win over Emma Navarro, then backed it up against Krueger without dropping a set.
She arrived at this tournament with little grass preparation and few expectations. That seems to have helped. She has played freely all fortnight, and Monday’s scoreline showed a player in control of both her serve and her nerves.
Krueger’s remarkable grass run ends
Krueger leaves with plenty to build on. The American came through qualifying and reached the second week with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Daria Snigur that took less than an hour and a half.
Her grass-court season stood at 16 wins and one loss before Monday. She had dropped just one set since the start of qualifying, in a tight three-setter against Donna Vekic. She was also the only qualifier still standing in the women’s draw.
There was history here too. Krueger won their only previous meeting, 4-6, 6-2, 6-2, in the first round in Adelaide back in 2025. Kostyuk reversed that result when it mattered more.
What comes next
Kostyuk now waits for her quarterfinal opponent, with the last-eight matches to be played in the coming days. A semifinal would be her second at a major this season.
Her ranking and seeding already reflect a career year. A deep run here would push her into the conversation for the biggest titles in the sport, on a surface she only recently learned to like.
Kostyuk has now reached the second week at every Grand Slam venue, and this fortnight she looks like she belongs there.
References
WTA Tennis. (2026). Under the radar, Marta Kostyuk learns to enjoy grass at Wimbledon.
Tennis Majors. (2026). Kostyuk storms into her first Wimbledon quarterfinal. Published July 6, 2026.
