Marta Kostyuk makes history at Australian Open by becoming youngest player to reach grand slam third round since 1997

WHAT were you doing when you were 15? Wagging Year 10 Bio? Maybe starting an apprenticeship? Not Ukrainian qualifier Marta Kostyuk. No, she just smashed a 21-year-old grand slam record at the Australian Open.

Marta Kostyuk is the youngest player to reach the third round of a grand slam since Mirjana Lucic-Baroni in 1997.

WHAT were you doing when you were 15?

Working a part-time job after school, battling Year 10 biology or maybe starting an apprenticeship?

Not Ukrainian qualifier Marta Kostyuk.

The teenager is the youngest player in 21 years to make the third round of a grand slam after dismissing an “unsettled” Australian Olivia Rogowska 6-3 7-5 at the Australian Open.

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The first time that Kostyuk - ranked 521 in the world - allowed herself to dream of grand slam success was less than 12 months ago.

In April of last year, the then-14-year-old wondered what it’d be like.

Now she’s here, and ready for whatever is coming her way.

“I was trying to fall asleep and then I started to think because I knew that I would probably get the wildcard as a winner in juniors next year,” Kostyuk said.

Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk was in disbelief when she advanced to the third round.

“So I was kind of imagining this, but, like, it was like really big wins.

“I was in the bed, I thought, ‘oh, my God, this is going to happen. Oh, my God’.

“But then I stopped myself, because it’s a super big goal, you know. If I (don’t) reach this, then I will put myself under pressure.”

The biggest win of her career also came with her biggest payday and the call that she is “the future of tennis”.

Before Wednesday, the 15-year-old’s career prizemoney totalled $8,150.

For making the third round – where she will meet fourth seed and countrywoman Elina Svitolina – that will increase more than 20-fold with a minimum of $142,500 coming her way.

“I will get presents for my family,” she said.

Marta Kostyuk in action during her win over Olivia Rogowska.

“Because I have big family. And then for myself (I will buy) a bit.”

The victory wasn’t without moments of evidence of her young age – a double fault on set point, an ear piercing squeal after a ball came off the frame on the next shot at the first set, and a serve into the front row of Margaret Court Arena on match point.

And a moment of anger at her mum Talina – a former professional herself - following a code violation for coaching in the first game of the second set.

“I wasn’t upset. I was so mad, because I didn’t see what mum was showing me,” she said.

“I was so mad (with her), because I knew that I would be fined for this.”

Kostyuk strolled into her post-match press conference like any other teenager – playing on her iPhone before admitting the waiting media pack was “a bit scary”.

There’d been a word from her mother about the mass of WhatsApp texts post-match, too.

Like many teenagers, there was to be no phones at the table.

Marta Kostyuk is the youngest player to reach the third round of a grand slam since Mirjana Lucic-Baroni in 1997.

“I take the phone, and I had to eat at the same time,” Kostyuk explained.

“My mum told me leave the phone and eat properly. Because I didn’t have normal breakfast, that’s why I felt quite bad today on court. And I was quite hungry and at the same time I had to check.

“Once I enter WhatsApp, I had to put the phone down, and I think, no, I didn’t still reply to a lot of people.”

An emotional Rogowska admitted that as the more experienced player, she “should have won”, but battled to find calm on the court as the teenager launched her assault.

“Definitely not a good day in the office,” the 26-year-old said.

“Credit to (Kostyuk), she was just firing balls right at me. As soon as I served, like, a ball was at my feet.

“I tried my hardest to settle down as fast as I could.

“Just nerves, no footwork. I knew what I had to do. I just couldn’t really execute it.”