After advancing to the U.S. Open, the wedding was canceled and the Ukrainian player won the women’s doubles championship as she wished
Ukrainian tennis player Lyudmyla Kichenok recently had to call off her wedding just two days ago, but she found a silver lining by teaming up with Latvian partner Jelena Ostapenko to win the women’s doubles title at the US Open.
The duo celebrated a straight-set victory, overcoming French player Kristina Mladenovic and Chinese star Zhang Shuai with scores of 6-4, 6-3. This victory marks their first Grand Slam title together.
According to reports from Agence France-Presse, the 32-year-old Kichenok was originally set to marry her fiancé Stas Khmarsky—who also happens to be Ostapenko’s coach—on September 4th. However, with their unexpected success leading them to the finals, Kichenok had to postpone the wedding.
Reflecting on the situation, Kichenok shared, “My fiancé and I were supposed to get married on the 4th, but the wedding didn’t happen. We had indeed made arrangements, but I was busy competing in the semifinals at that time.”
As Reuters noted, this triumph not only showcases Kichenok and Ostapenko’s skills but also marks their first Grand Slam title in women’s doubles, having reached the finals together earlier this year at the Australian Open.
During the award ceremony, Ostapenko couldn’t hide her excitement about their partnership, saying, “We really are a fantastic team. I think the last two weeks have been incredible. We didn’t overthink things; we just played better and better with each match, not dropping a single set—this has truly been a remarkable tournament.”
