US Open star shows off unusual 'trophy' after dumping Brit out of tournament

US Open star Marta Kostyuk described her dog as a "trophy" as she showed off the pooch to tennis fans in New York following her victory over British star Katie Boulter. The Ukrainian has brought her dog to the final Grand Slam of the year, with her beloved pet joining her coach Sandra Zaniewska during the first round encounter.

Kostyuk is playing at her sixth US Open as she aims to reach the fourth round for the first time in her career. Last year, she was knocked out by Emma Navarro in the third round after seeing off McCartney Kessler and Harriet Dart in her opening two matches. And the 23-year-old has endured a tricky year on the court as she failed to make it past the first hurdle at the French Open and Wimbledon following a third-round appearance at the Australian Open.

Kostyuk was in fine form during her showdown with Boulter on Tuesday as she battled to a 6-4, 6-4 victory. And she was in a joyous mood during her on-court interview as she was asked whether her dog Mander was with her.

Kostyuk replied: "Sandra, lift him. He had a haircut yesterday." And she added: "He's our biggest trophy for sure."

Mander has joined the tennis star at tournaments all over the world in the past, with the loveable pet spotted in destinations such as Madrid, Miami and Canada earlier this year. And the dog's presence is clearly valued by Kostyuk, who has been pictured cuddling the pooch on court.

Kostyuk and Boulter embraced at the net following their showdown at Flushing Meadows.

And after the match, the Ukrainian told the crowd at the Grandstand court: "Thank you guys for your support, I think it's my first ever win on this court, I was always losing.

"I really felt like one of the match points I got her, when I missed my drive volley it was a hard one. She was on a roll [in the final game] and I really didn't want to reset the set from 5-5, so really glad I could close it at 6-4."

Boulter is set to drop out of the top 50 following her defeat to Kostyuk, with the 29-year-old failing to make it beyond the second round of a Grand Slam this year.

The Briton was defeated by Veronika Kudermetova in her second match at the Australian Open in January, before losing to Madison Keys in the second round of the French Open in May.

Boulter then succumbed to Argentine star Solana Sierra at the same stage of Wimbledon and will be desperate to improve on her record at Majors in 2026.