Dedicating victory to Ukraine, Marta Kostyuk wins 'extremely special' first title in Austin

WATCH: Marta Kostyuk was overcome by emotion after beating Varvara Gracheva to win the inaugural ATX Open.

The inaugural ATX Open finished with a sentimental champion: 20-year-old Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk captured her first career WTA singles title with a 6-3, 7-5 win over Varvara Gracheva in Sunday's final.

Kostyuk is the first Ukrainian player to win a WTA singles title in more than a year, since Elina Svitolina triumphed in Chicago two summers ago, and dedicated an emotional maiden victory to her war-torn homeland.

Kostyuk has been outspoken in support of her home country since Russia, with the support of Belarus, invaded its borders more than a year ago, and has critiqued the tennis establishment for continuing to permit both Belarusian and Russian players to play tournaments under a neutral flag.

With Kostyuk playing a Moscow native in Gracheva, the conflict played its part in Sunday's final. The two players didn't shake hands after the match, bypassing the cursory meeting at the net. Kostyuk later began her champion's speech with a now-familiar refrain: "Slava Ukraini."

"Being in the position that I am in right now, it's extremely special to win this title," Kostyuk added. "I want to dedicate this title to Ukraine and to everyone who is fighting and dying right now. Obviously, it's a very special moment, no matter when it happens."

Ranked No. 52 entering the week and seeded No. 8 at the WTA 250 event, Kostyuk was the highest-ranked player in the WTA rankings to have never reached a tour-level singles final. A first-time victor was guaranteed as Gracheva, ranked No. 88, was also a first-time finalist; unseeded, Gracheva defeated knocked off top-seeded Magda Linette in the first round, and No. 5 seed Sloane Stephens in the quarterfinals.

Kostyuk lost just one set in her title-winning run — she beat American Madison Brengle 6-3, 3-6, 6-0 in the second round — and nearly lost another before defeating Gracheva in 91 minutes. Gracheva served for the second set at 5-4, and Kostyuk saved a set point at 40-30. In all, she broke Gracheva eight times in victory, and hit more than three times the winners.

Kostyuk will return to the WTA's Top 50 as a result of winning the title, and will reach a new career-high ranking of No. 40 on Monday.