Harriet Dart’s composure melted by US Open heat in loss to Marta Kostyuk

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Harriet Dart’s US Open campaign ended in searing temperatures as she went down in straight sets to Marta Kostyuk, the 19th seed from Ukraine.
The mercury climbed to 35 degrees at the Billie Jean King Tennis Centre in Flushing Meadows, while the perceived figure approached 40 on account of the humidity. Miraculously, no players had retired with heat-related complaints at the time of writing, which is testament to the fitness levels throughout the locker-room.
This was forecast to be the hottest day of the tournament, and indeed organisers had better hope that there are no more intense conditions to navigate over the remaining 11 days.
Dart was hampered by a malfunctioning serve, which itself suffered from the unusual challenge of staring into a ferocious sun. She coughed up ten double-faults in all, while Kostyuk donated six of her own, making this a match in which you were generally better off receiving than serving.
In the crucial first-set tie-break, there was a phase when eight straight points went against the serve, including three double-faults. Dart was furious with herself when she lost it by a 12-10 scoreline, slamming her racket into her bag at the end of the set. 
She had, after all, missed out on plenty of opportunities. She had served for the set twice, and then held five set points during the tie-break. But one had to have a certain sympathy for anyone expected to run around in this weather.
“Everyone was suffering, crowd included,” said Dart. “It was pretty bright, and with the conditions, the balls – which are light – were flying everywhere. Sometimes you can’t even think because it was very hot and you’re a bit bothered.”
According to Frances Tiafoe, the American who won through on Arthur Ashe Stadium, the conditions were “disgusting”. As he explained afterwards, “I was sweating crazy. Yeah, I just try to bring as much [fresh clothing] as I can. I’ve got 20 shirts, I’ve got a bunch of shoes.”
While Dart’s 7-6, 6-1 defeat ended herAmerican campaign, she has had a creditable few weeks, including successful runs at the same qualifying events in Toronto and Cincinnati that Emma Raducanu controversially declined to enter.
Add in her confident first-round win over France’s Chloe Paquet, and you have 120 rankings points, which helped Dart to overtake Raducanu and move into second place among the British contingent. She will probably finish the tournament just inside the world’s top 70, depending on other results, which will represent a career high.
Dart was watched from courtside by her mother Susie, who has taken up coaching duties on this trip with aplomb. The upside of the result is that Susie will be be able to return home on Friday, as planned, and thus fulfill her teaching responsibilities next week at Arnold House School in north London.
Meanwhile the Darts’ cockapoo Lennie has become a minor celebrity after featuring on the BBC’s Today programme. “She would never leave our family dog,” said Harriet of her mother after the Paquet win. “The dog is number one, definitely, out of all of us – she’s missing him dearly.”
Out on Court Nine, meanwhile, Wimbledon doubles champions Henry Patten of Britain and Harri Heliovaara of Finland scored a 6-4, 7-5 victory in their first-round meeting with Frenchmen Sadio Doumbia and Manuel Guinard.
Patten and Heliovaara had suffered a setback in Montreal three weeks ago when they collided on court and were treated for the effects of concussion. But their symptoms have cleared up in time for this event, and they come in as the No6 seeds.
The winning moment for Marta Kostyuk which sees Harriet Dart out of the US Open 🏙 pic.twitter.com/gQD7rRKprI
Dart starts the service game with a double fault. Once again Kostyuk blasts a return winner off a slow second serve, 0-30.
Another thumping backhand winner brings up three match points. Dart saves the first with a forehand winner.
Then the second when Kostyuk’s return hits the net cord and the ball lands on her side of the net. Kostyuk return long and Dart gets to deuce.
Long rally ends when Dart flicks a tired backhand into the tramlines, match point. Kostyuk backhand winner down the line. GAME SET MATCH KOSTYUK!
Slumped shoulders from Dart as another Kostyuk service game gets away from her. Too many errors have proved to be her undoing this evening.
Kostyuk holds to 30 when Dart nets a tame backhand return.
Oh dear. Shocking volley into the net by Dart, 0-30. Technique nowhere to be seen. Rueful look as she walks back to the baseline.
Dart backhand into the net, two break points for Kostyuk. Great defence by Kostyuk, Dart fails to kill the point and is punished as Kostyuk finishes the rally with an overhead smash winner.
Double break for Kostyuk.
Dart just needs to hang in there and hope for a drop in level from Kostyuk. But unfortunately for her, the game passes her by very quickly as Kostyuk holds to 15 to consolidate the break.
Dart complains to her mum on the sideline after her latest double fault gives Kostyuk a break point. Dart frames a forehand into the net and Kostyuk breaks. Dart is livid with herself.
Frustration for Dart as she lets this Kostyuk service game slip by. Whoever serves best will win this match.
Dart under the cosh at the start of the second set as Kostyuk earns a break point. Dart sees out the danger with a forehand winner to make it deuce.
And she crucially gets on the board when Kostyuk hits a return long.
Dart slams a ball into the backboard after netting a forehand, 9-10. Kostyuk double faults again, 10-10. Kostyuk forehand winner, 10-11. 
Kostyuk punishes a 70mph second serve by Dart with a forehand return winner, 10-12.
Marta Kostyuk takes the first set against Harriet Dart after a first-set tie-break 😮 pic.twitter.com/VevqmoUO0u
Good defence by Dart, Kostyuk opts to hit a drive forehand but gets it all wrong and the ball flies long, 7-6. Oh dear, another Dart double fault, her seventh of the set, 7-7.
Dart forehand wide, 7-8. Wow, now Kostyuk double faults, 8-8. Kostyuk forehand long, 9-8. Another passive and cagey rally ends with Dart pushing a forehand long, 9-9.
Dart double fault, her sixth of the match, 4-3. Kostyuk forehand long, 5-3. Decent approach shot by Kostyuk but an even better backhand pass by Dart, 6-3.
Dart goes for too much with a forehand, 6-4. Kostyuk punishes Dart’s second serve with a backhand return winner, 6-5. 
Tense rally by both players as they sense the importance of the point and Dart blinks first with a forehand wide, 6-6.
Wild Kostyuk forehand flies long, 1-0. Another forehand error by Kostyuk, 2-0. Brilliant from Dart, showing patience and controlled aggression and Kostyuk blinks first, 3-0. Dart forehand error, 3-1.
Big ‘come on’ from Kostyuk after Dart hits a forehand error, 3-2. Dart forehand winner, 4-2.
Second chance for Dart to serve out the set and she makes it to 30-30 when Kostyuk hits a poor forehand return into the net.
She responds with a couple of big forehand and finishes with a winner into the corner, break point.
Dart forehand into the tramlines and she is broken again serving for the set.
Tiebreak time.
Dart needs to regroup quickly and she makes her move, hitting a forehand winner to make it 0-30. Two unreturned first serves by Kostyuk, 30-all.
Kostyuk double fault, break point Dart. Another double fault by Kostyuk and she gifts the break to Dart. Really poor but Dart won’t care.
Kostyuk starts the game in style with a forehand winner down the line. Dart forehand down the line is wide, 0-30.
Brilliant from Kostyuk to drill a backhand winner down the line, three break points. Dart double fault. Wow.
Kostyuk breaks to love and has won the last eight points.
12 consecutive points on serve for Kostyuk as she claims her third consecutive love hold. Can you fix her returns to break Dart though? Let’s find out.
Despite her vulnerable second serve, Dart continues to pick up points largely due to careless errors by Kostyuk.
Back-to-back well placed first serves by Dart and she moves a game away from the set.
Rapid love hold by Kostyuk. A fair bit of frustration in her tennis at the moment.
Dart goes long with a mid court forehand, 15-30. Pressure on her now. Second serve hits up nicely for Kostyuk but she blasts a forehand well wide, 30-30.
Kostyuk forehand into the net and Dart holds again. Gritty, determined tennis by Dart so far.
Kostyuk gets back on track with her own service hold to love. She will want to apply pressure on Dart’s serve in the next game.
Better service game from Dart as she races to 40-0 and holds when Kostyuk nets a backhand return. Kostyuk’s irritation is clear on her face.
Back comes Dart, who earns herself three break points at 0-40. Kostyuk saves the first. And the second when a forehand cross court is too hot for Dart.
Frustration for Dart but smart play by Kostyuk to take the pace off her first serve and the Briton pushes a backhand return into the tramlines.
Fourth break chance for Dart after a Kostyuk double fault. Good, aggressive play by Dart and on the defensive, Kostyuk flicks a forehand long.
Dart breaks again.
One of the weaker areas of Dart’s game is her second serve. Kostyuk is already making sure to step inside the baseline whenever she gets a look at it.
Kostyuk also possesses more power than Dart but the Briton is still good enough to hit a forehand winner which flies by her opponent, 40-30. Dart double faults and it’s deuce.
Dart overhits a forehand and Kostyuk has a break back point. Kostyuk gets a second serve and duly punishes Dart with a cross court forehand return winner.
We’re back on serve.
Early break point chance for Dart after Kostyuk puts a backhand into the tramlines and she gets the break when the Ukrainian mis-hits a forehand into the net.
Ideal start for the Briton.
A good start for Harriet Dart 👏 pic.twitter.com/sJbdnT24mT
Dart and Kostyuk come through the crowds to arrive on Court 5 for their match. On the coin toss, Kostyuk wins it and opts to serve first. 
This is the third meeting between the players. Dart won their last meeting in three sets at Eastbourne in 2022.
All over on Court 5 as Jiri Lehecka completes the comeback over Mitchell Krueger, winning 6-7, 0-6, 6-4, 6-4, 7-5.
Next up… it’s Dart!
What it means 🔊@jirilehecka comes from two sets down for the first time in his career @usopen #usopen pic.twitter.com/18Kcju0Brt
Emma Raducanu is facing sponsorship uncertainty in the wake of her tearful first-round exit at the US Open, after a demoralising defeat that extended her winless run since 2021’s famous New York breakthrough to three years.
Raducanu broke down in tears at her post-match press conference after a three-set loss to Sofia Kenin, the world No 54 and former Australian Open champion.
The early exit meant that Raducanu has failed to go beyond the second round at seven of the eight grand slams she has competed in since winning at Flushing Meadows, on top of the four she has missed through injury.
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Dart is scheduled second on Court 5. Currently, Mitchell Krueger and 32nd seed Jiri Lehecka are in a fifth set battle. It is 4-4 in the final set so I’d say we are at least 20 minutes away from Dart coming onto court.
Susie Dart, the mother of British No 3 tennis player Harriet, has been credited as the inspiration behind her daughter’s brilliant first-round victory at the US Open for her role in “throwing balls”.
But as Harriet admitted here in New York, Susie will not trade in her normal job as a schoolteacher to become the tennis star’s full-time coach as she would rather be throwing balls to the family dog, Lennie.
A former junior tennis star turned school teacher, Susie has been helping her 28-year-old daughter on the road in the absence of her full-time coach, a relationship that has so far produced three wins from four matches.
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Hello and welcome to coverage of the US Open with Britain’s Harriet Dart in action.
Dart made it into the second round at Flushing Meadows for the first time after easing past Frenchwoman Chloe Paquet 6-1 6-2 on Monday. Today she faces a much harder test in the shape of Ukrainian 19th seed Marta Kostyuk.
Dart’s usual coach Olga Morozova is reluctant to travel outside the UK so her mum Susie has stepped up in her absence for the American hard-court swing.
“It’s a different dynamic, that’s for sure,” the 26-year-old said. “We’ve only had one argument so that’s good. It’s just little things and I think it’s easier when it’s your mum because two minutes later you’re all fine. It’s been nice to have her, she knows me really well.
“She can hit with me a little bit and she’s played so she understands a lot of things and she’s been around Olga a lot, so it’s nice to have her around. She hasn’t been with me very much since I was a junior.
“She says her role is feeding balls, and throwing me balls, but there’s much more to it than that. She’s been helping me a lot. She played county and vets. And a couple of pro tournaments as well, but then she went to university and had me, so that changed her plans.”
As it stands, Dart is set to reach a provisional career high of 66 and victory over Kostyuk would put her on the cusp of the top 50.
But if Dart does progress through, she may have to continue in the tournament without a coach as her mum is a teacher and the new term is due to begin next week.
“She’s due to go back Friday, but we’ll see,” Dart said. “We’ll come to that when we need to.”