Imagine this. The Australian Open has barely got going and already Melbourne has staged a match that feels almost impossible to top. Elsa Jacquemot and Marta Kostyuk lock into something far bigger than a routine first round, dragging each other through tiebreak after tiebreak with no one willing to blink.
Two tiebreaks are still not enough. A super tiebreak is demanded, because there has to be a winner. After three hours and 27 minutes of nerve-shredding tension, it is the 22-year-old Frenchwoman Jacquemot who finally stands tall.
The scoreline reads like fiction: 6-7(4-7), 7-6(7-4), 7-6(10-7). And the tournament has only just begun.
Momentum in Flux Before Kostyuk Seizes Control
Jaquemot controlled the early stretch, breaking for 3–1 and keeping the initiative until Kostyuk dragged the set back to 3–3 with sharper returning.
The only mid-set lead for Kostyuk came at 3–4, a break built on depth and early ball contact, but she couldn’t ride it — Jaquemot broke straight back for 4–4.
From there the set steadied: both players protected serve cleanly through 5–5 and again through 6–5, where Jaquemot briefly re-claimed scoreboard pressure.
Yet the tone had shifted. Kostyuk’s resilience on serve carried her into 6–6, and in the tiebreak she finally separated — taking control of the first strike patterns and closing the set 7–4.
Jacquemot vs Kostyuk – Set 1 Stats
| Statistic | Jacquemot | Kostyuk |
|---|---|---|
| Dominance Ratio | 0.87 | 1.16 |
| Winners | 9 | 26 |
| Unforced Errors | 8 | 17 |
| Serve Rating | 241 | 243 |
| Aces | 0 | 3 |
| Double Faults | 1 | 3 |
| 1st Serve % | 64% (29/45) | 56% (22/39) |
| 1st Serve Points Won | 55% (16/29) | 73% (16/22) |
| 2nd Serve Points Won | 56% (9/16) | 47% (8/17) |
| Break Points Saved | 67% (4/6) | 50% (2/4) |
| Ace % | 0% | 7.7% |
| Double Fault % | 2.2% | 7.7% |
| Return Rating | 163 | 155 |
| 1st Return Points Won | 27% (6/22) | 45% (13/29) |
| 2nd Return Points Won | 53% (9/17) | 44% (7/16) |
| Break Points Won | 50% (2/4) | 33% (2/6) |
| Pressure Points | 60% (6/10) | 40% (4/10) |
| Service Points | 56% (25/45) | 62% (24/39) |
| Return Points | 38% (15/39) | 44% (20/45) |
| Net Points | 64% (7/11) | 79% (15/19) |
| Total Points | 48% (40/84) | 52% (44/84) |
| Max Points In A Row | 4 | 4 |
| Match Points Saved | 0 | 0 |
| Max Games In A Row | 2 | 3 |
| Set Duration | 0h56m | |
Jaquemot fights back
Set 2 mirrored the tension of the opener but raised the stakes. Kostyuk applied early pressure and gradually edged herself into control through the middle of the set, while Jaquemot was forced to defend repeatedly without falling away. The balance finally tipped in the ninth game, when Kostyuk broke for 5–4, putting herself one game from the match and serving it out.
That moment became the set’s defining rupture. With Kostyuk serving for the match, Jaquemot produced her cleanest return game of the set — a love break — wiping away the scoreboard pressure instantly. The sudden reversal didn’t just level the score at 5–5; it flipped the emotional gravity of the set.
From there, the pattern settled into nerve management rather than shot-making dominance. Both players held to reach another tiebreak, but the psychological edge had shifted. Jaquemot, having survived match point territory, played with greater freedom, while Kostyuk tightened. In the breaker, Jaquemot controlled risk better, struck the clearer first ball, and closed out the set 7–6, forcing a deciding third.
Jacquemot vs Kostyuk – Set 2 Stats
| Statistic | Jacquemot | Kostyuk |
|---|---|---|
| Dominance Ratio | 1.22 | 0.82 |
| Winners | 11 | 21 |
| Unforced Errors | 21 | 26 |
| Serve Rating | 258 | 252 |
| Aces | 3 | 1 |
| Double Faults | 6 | 1 |
| 1st Serve % | 58% (31/53) | 65% (36/55) |
| 1st Serve Points Won | 84% (26/31) | 67% (24/36) |
| 2nd Serve Points Won | 36% (8/22) | 37% (7/19) |
| Break Points Saved | 86% (6/7) | 86% (6/7) |
| Ace % | 5.7% | 1.8% |
| Double Fault % | 11.3% | 1.8% |
| Return Rating | 127 | 111 |
| 1st Return Points Won | 33% (12/36) | 16% (5/31) |
| 2nd Return Points Won | 63% (12/19) | 64% (14/22) |
| Break Points Won | 14% (1/7) | 14% (1/7) |
| Pressure Points | 50% (7/14) | 50% (7/14) |
| Service Points | 64% (34/53) | 56% (31/55) |
| Return Points | 44% (24/55) | 36% (19/53) |
| Net Points | 43% (3/7) | 75% (12/16) |
| Total Points | 54% (58/108) | 46% (50/108) |
| Max Points In A Row | 5 | 7 |
| Match Points Saved | 1 | 0 |
| Max Games In A Row | 2 | 2 |
| Set 2 Duration | 1h10m | |
Unbreakable: Elsa Jaquemot Outlasts Everything
The deciding set rose to a different level entirely. After two volatile, break-heavy sets, both players locked in, producing a rare stretch of twelve straight holds under sustained pressure. Serve quality improved, margins tightened, and the set became a test of nerve rather than momentum.
Jaquemot and Kostyuk traded clean service games early, neither offering cheap looks, and even as rallies lengthened around the mid-set, return pressure never translated into breaks. Every time one player nudged ahead — at 3–2, 4–3, 5–4, then 6–5 — the response was immediate and composed. The scoreboard pressure was constant, but neither blinked.
Jacquemot vs Kostyuk – Final Set Stats
| Statistic | Jacquemot | Kostyuk |
|---|---|---|
| Dominance Ratio | 0.74 | 1.35 |
| Winners | 17 | 20 |
| Unforced Errors | 19 | 25 |
| Serve Rating | 279 | 303 |
| Aces | 1 | 4 |
| Double Faults | 4 | 1 |
| 1st Serve % | 68% (42/62) | 57% (23/40) |
| 1st Serve Points Won | 74% (31/42) | 83% (19/23) |
| 2nd Serve Points Won | 40% (8/20) | 59% (10/17) |
| Break Points Saved | 100% (7/7) | 100% (1/1) |
| Ace % | 1.6% | 10% |
| Double Fault % | 6.5% | 2.5% |
| Return Rating | 58 | 86 |
| 1st Return Points Won | 17% (4/23) | 26% (11/42) |
| 2nd Return Points Won | 41% (7/17) | 60% (12/20) |
| Break Points Won | 0% (0/1) | 0% (0/7) |
| Pressure Points | 88% (7/8) | 13% (1/8) |
| Service Points | 63% (39/62) | 73% (29/40) |
| Return Points | 28% (11/40) | 37% (23/62) |
| Net Points | 69% (11/16) | 63% (10/16) |
| Total Points | 49% (50/102) | 51% (52/102) |
| Max Points In A Row | 4 | 5 |
| Match Points Saved | 0 | 1 |
| Max Games In A Row | 1 | 1 |
| Final Set Duration |
Every Point, Every Nerve: Jacquemot–Kostyuk Super Tiebreak
That dynamic carried directly into the tiebreak, which felt like a continuation rather than a reset. Points were earned, not donated.
Jacquemot set the tone immediately, jumping out to a 5–1 lead by striking twice on Kostyuk’s serve and dictating the early exchanges. The depth and firmness of her ball forced rushed replies, and the mini-break cushion gave her control of the breaker’s rhythm. Kostyuk responded with a surge of aggression, ripping three straight return points to claw back from 5–1 to 5–4 and re-inject real pressure into the decider.
Momentum briefly tilted as Kostyuk leveled again at 7–7, but Jacquemot steadied when it mattered most. She claimed a decisive mini-break at 7–7, then backed it up with authoritative serving to convert match point and close the super tie-break 10–7, sealing it with composure after the late wobble.
| Point Progression | Server | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 0–0 → 1–0 | Jacquemot | Solid start on serve |
| 1–0 → 2–0 | Kostyuk | Mini-break Jacquemot |
| 2–0 → 2–1 | Kostyuk | Gets on the board on serve |
| 2–1 → 3–1 | Jacquemot | Clean point on serve |
| 3–1 → 4–1 | Jacquemot | Stretches the lead |
| 4–1 → 5–1 | Kostyuk | Jacquemot is cruising |
| 5–1 → 5–2 | Kostyuk | Holds serve under pressure |
| 5–2 → 5–3 | Jacquemot | Mini-break Kostyuk |
| 5–3 → 5–4 | Jacquemot | Mini-break Kostyuk again! |
| 5–4 → 6–4 | Kostyuk | Drama! Kostyuk loses serve |
| 6–4 → 7–4 | Kostyuk | Heartbreak for Marta |
| 7–4 → 7–5 | Jacquemot | Kostyuk fights back |
| 7–5 → 7–6 | Jacquemot | Kostyuk is almost back |
| 7–6 → 7–7 | Kostyuk | Held to level – Marta Kostyuk is flipping this! |
| 7–7 → 8–7 | Kostyuk | Mini-break Jacquemot Unbelievable |
| 8–7 → 9–7 | Jacquemot | MPS |
| 9–7 → 10–7 | Jacquemot | And she takes it after 3 hours and 27 minutes!!! |