Marta Kostyuk scored a quarterfinal berth at the 2026 Guadalajara Open before even stepping foot onto the WTA court. The top-seeded Ukrainian received a second-round walkover for the WTA 500 event after Taylor Townsend withdrew to undergo emergency surgery.
Mystery Illness Derails Taylor Townsend's Tournament Hopes
Townsend shared the news via Instagram, writing, "This s*** definitely wasn't on my bingo card. Through trials and tribulations… still I rise."
The withdrawal cut short what had been a promising week for the US star. Just days earlier, Townsend fought back from a first-set tiebreak loss to beat Tatjana Maria 6-7(0), 6-3, 6-2 in the opening round.
Before that, she and doubles partner Kateřina Siniaková completed a career Grand Slam by winning the 2026 US Open title. The pair have now captured all four major doubles trophies across three seasons.
Marta Kostyuk Look to Capitalize on Guadalajara Open Walkover
Meanwhile, Kostyuk's path through the draw has been relatively quiet so far.
The world No. 10 earned a first-round bye and now advances to face eighth-seeded Liudmila Samsonova, who edged past Kayla Day in a tight three-setter.
Among other WTA scores from the tournament's second round, No. 2 seed Iva Jovic topped Zeynep Sonmez 7-6(5), 6-4, and Magdalena Frech eliminated Caroline Dolehide 6-4, 6-3.
