Novak Djokovic's absence from the Indian Wells Open has caused a stir in US politics, and on the tennis court it is hugely significant, too.
Sport was given a jolt three years ago when Indian Wells organisers cancelled the event on the eve of action getting under way, citing one local case of COVID-19.
At that point, on March 8, 2020, there had been more than 500 confirmed cases across the United States, with 21 deaths. Soon enough, events across the globe were being postponed or scrubbed.
Coronavirus travel restrictions prevented the unvaccinated Djokovic from taking part last year, and they will keep him away again this time, despite calls from two Florida senators for the jab requirement to be lifted by President Biden to allow the Serbian into the country.
With the world number one sidelined, Daniil Medvedev and Carlos Alcaraz look likely challengers for the men's title. There have been surprise champions in recent times, with Cameron Norrie winning in 2021 and Taylor Fritz carrying off the title 12 months ago, so it would be hasty to rule out something similar.
In the women's event, there has not been a successful title defence since Martina Navratilova won in 1990 and 1991. That can partly be attributed to Serena and Venus Williams boycotting for over a decade at the peak of their powers after complaining of facing racial abuse, and in their absence no player stepped up to dominate.
Iga Swiatek triumphed in Indian Wells and Miami last season, racking up the 'Sunshine Double', and she starts as a strong favourite again, but defeat in the recent Dubai final to Barbora Krejcikova showed the 21-year-old rankings leader will not have everything her way this season.
First-round action gets under way on Wednesday, after two days of qualifying, and here Stats Perform, with Opta data, looks at what lies ahead.
After Norrie and Fritz, could there be another shock men's winner?
Djokovic has won a joint-record five Indian Wells titles, but he last featured in 2019, when he lost to Philipp Kohlschreiber in round three.
Rafael Nadal is also absent this time with a hip injury, and with Roger Federer retired this will be the second Indian Wells main draw since 2000, after 2021, to feature none of the ATP Big Three.
The Big Three was a Big Four at one point, though, and Andy Murray will be competing. It is one of the two Masters 1000 tournaments Murray has never won, along with Monte Carlo, having triumphed at the other seven. Murray has the most match wins at Indian Wells among all men competing this time, having 28 to his name, two more than John Isner who sits next on the list.
No ATP player has a better win percentage at Indian Wells than Djokovic (84.7 per cent), who has won 50 of his 59 matches, while the now-retired Federer has appeared in the most finals (nine), also winning five times, so there is no doubt the field is missing its long-time classiest acts.
Fritz last year became the first men's champion aged under 25 years old since Djokovic in 2011, and he was also the first American to take the men's title since Andre Agassi beat Pete Sampras in the 2001 final.
Medvedev has won three consecutive tournaments in the lead-up this year, tearing to titles in Rotterdam, Doha and Dubai, but the Russian has a disappointing record at Indian Wells, having yet to reach the quarter-finals in five visits.
Just four players this century, including Alcaraz last year, have reached the semi-final stage before turning 20, with Nadal, Djokovic and Murray the other three. Alcaraz is still only 19 but a shade older than Boris Becker when he was a 19-year-old champion in 1987, the youngest men's winner.
Who else might come through? It feels like a free-for-all and Felix Auger-Aliassime will be hoping for a breakthrough tournament, with the Canadian being the only member of the current ATP top 10 to have never reached a final at ATP 1000 level. It has to happen sooner rather than later, surely.
Swiatek bids to lift curse of women's champions
Ever since Navratilova's two in a row, being a back-to-back champion at Indian Wells has been beyond all singles players on the WTA side.
Indeed, the only players to reach the final the year after their title run have been Lindsay Davenport (champion 1997, runner-up 1998) and Ana Ivanovic (champion 2008, runner-up 2009).
Nine women have won twice at Indian Wells, but none have managed three or more titles. The nine are: Steffi Graf, Mary Joe Fernandez, Navratilova, Daniela Hantuchova, Serena Williams, Kim Clijsters, Victoria Azarenka, Davenport and Maria Sharapova.
A Swiatek victory would make it a club of 10, but there is a club of one when it comes to players who have captured two titles without dropping a set in either trophy run. Sharapova is the only player to pull off that feat, with her 2006 and 2013 glory runs.
Among all women, Davenport has reached the most finals (six) and won the most matches (47), with Azarenka having the most wins among active WTA players (34).
Navratilova remains the oldest champion, having won aged 34 in 1991, while Martina Hingis and Serena Williams won as 17-year-olds in 1998 and 1999.
Shocks can happen: Bianca Andreescu took the title as a wildcard in 2019, while Jenny Byrne reached the final as a qualifier in 1989, the first year the women's event was staged.
If there is to be a teenage women's finalist this time, maybe it will be Coco Gauff. The American turns 19 midway through the tournament, on March 13, and has yet to reach a WTA 1000 final, although she got to the French Open title match last year, where Swiatek inflicted a heavy defeat.
Perhaps Aryna Sabalenka can reprise her Australian Open form, having won a first major in Melbourne. But Sabalenka's record in Indian Wells is a rough one, with the Belarusian yet to go past the fourth round.
Strap in for a thrill ride. They all want to stop Swiatek, but if any player can defy history it might just be the Pole.
The New York Knicks claimed their ninth straight win on Sunday but top scorer Immanuel Quickley says they are not satisfied.
The Knicks improved their record to 39-27, firming up fifth spot in the Eastern Conference with Sunday's 131-129 double overtime win over the Boston Celtics fuelling the hype surrounding the side.
Quickley stepped into the starting line-up for the absent Jalen Brunson, who was the Eastern Conference Player of the Month for February, before scoring a career-high 38 points showcasing the Knicks' depth.
"We're not satisfied at all," Quickley told ESPN. "We want to continue to get better. We want to continue to make a push down the stretch."
The Knicks are firmly in contention for one of the top four seeds in the East, which would earn them home-court advantage in the first-round of the playoffs.
The Milwaukee Bucks (46-18) and Celtics (45-20) are well out in front in, but the Knicks are closing in on the third-placed Philadelphia 76ers (41-22) and fourth-placed Cleveland Cavaliers (40-26).
Quickley's performance, across a career-high 55 minutes, included making five-of-12 from three-point range with eight rebounds and seven assists, though he was not interested in individual accolades.
"My team-mates did a great job," he said. "I'm really proud of my team. Double overtime against a really good team. You can't ask for better."
The defeat dealt another blow to the Celtics, who have dropped three of their past four games, including two against the Knicks.
Boston had led by 14 points, having allowed the biggest comeback of the season on Friday when the Brooklyn Nets rallied back from 28 points down.
"We're not locking in as much as we need to," said Celtics veteran Al Horford, who missed an attempt for a game-winning three-pointer on the second overtime buzzer.
"This is the second time we've had a lead, we feel good about it and a team makes a run and we let them back in the game.
"Throughout the season you're going to have adversity. We've played pretty good basketball most of the year. This is a time when you tighten up and fix some of these issues or it goes the other way.
"We want to play our best basketball, but this is a part of the season. There's ups and downs."
Celtics guard Derrick White claimed they have lost their "swagger", having surrendered top spot to the Bucks over the past week.
"We've just got to get our swagger back," White said. "Find a way to play with each other, have fun out there. I'm sure we'll get it back here soon."
Two-time MVP Stephen Curry felt he "got stronger as the game went on" as he returned after 11 games out from a leg injury in the Golden State Warriors' 113-105 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday.
Curry, playing for the first time since February 4, scored 27 points on eight-of-20 shooting from the field, making five of 13 from three-point range. The reigning NBA Finals MVP also had two rebounds and six assists.
The Warriors guard was inconsistent throughout the game, failing to score in either the first or third quarters, but he did add 19 fourth-quarter points to lead Golden State's charge down the stretch against their Western Conference rivals.
"I felt like I got stronger as the game went on," Curry told reporters.
"I felt great. I missed the first two wide-open ones. I felt like I was in rhythm for the most part. Hopefully I continue to get better as we go forth from here."
The battle for playoff spots in the Western Conference remains wide open, with the Warriors fifth with a 34-31 record, while the Lakers are 11th with a 31-34 record.
Golden State put together a late-season charge to propel them on to win the title around this time last year, but Curry does not see too many parallels.
"The biggest difference is we didn’t start out 18-2 [last season]," Curry said.
"We're still fifth. We have an outside shot at trying to get home-court advantage. It feels weird to say it, but we're trying to win a championship but also trying to stay out of the play-in, too."
Curry's return coincided with the Warriors' five-game winning streak coming to a halt, when many expected him to help their momentum. He said the team would need to adjust to having him back in the line-up.
"The way the guys have been playing over the last five games and the stretch that we had at home, it's a tough transition for everybody," Curry said.
"It's just guys trying to keep their rhythm, keep their confidence. That's our challenge as a team.
"We have to maintain trust in each other because we are all aiming for the same goal – to win at the highest level. I understand everybody has to be a part of that. It's not just about me coming back."
Novak Djokovic will not feature at the Indian Wells Open.
It was confirmed by tournament organisers on Sunday that the world number one would miss the first Masters 1000 tournament of the season.
As he is not vaccinated against COVID-19, Djokovic had applied for special permission to enter the United States, but that has seemingly been denied.
Until at least April 10, international visitors to the US must have proof of vaccination.
Djokovic, a five-time winner at Indian Wells, is also set to miss the Miami Open later in March, while his participation in the US Open could be in doubt.
The 22-time grand slam champion – who reached the semi-finals at the Dubai Tennis Championships last week – missed last year's major at Flushing Meadows due to his vaccination status. He was, however, allowed to play in this season's Australian Open.
Nikoloz Basilashvili moved into the main field following Djokovic's withdrawal.
George Russell says Red Bull have got this year's Formula One championship "sewn up" and declared "they should win every single this year" after dominating the season opener in Bahrain.
Red Bull's Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez claimed a comfortable one-two finish at the Bahrain Grand Prix having both started at the front of the grid.
The reigning world champion won by 11.987 seconds from his Red Bull team-mate, who was almost 40 seconds ahead of Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso who rounded out the podium.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said Red Bull were on a "different planet" after the race and felt his team would need to completely abandon its own cap concept.
Russell, who finished down in seventh, reiterated that sentiment, pointing to Red Bull's probable dominance in 2023.
"Red Bull have got this championship sewn up," Russell said. "I don't think anyone will be fighting with them this year. They should win every single race this year, is my bet.
"They've got it easy at the moment. They can do what they like. They might not be on pole all the time because we know Ferrari are very competitive in qualifying but when it comes to race pace they're in a very strong position."
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner downplayed Russell's comments, insisting it was far too early to be talking like that.
"Twenty-three races is a marathon," Horner said. "It's about being consistent over the campaign.
"Today was a great start. We full expect our rivals to come back hard in the future races."
Giannis Antetokounmpo says he "stole one" after rebounding his intentionally missed shot to earn his fourth triple-double of the season in the Milwaukee Bucks' 117-111 win over the Washington Wizards.
The Greek forward finished the game with 23 points, 10 rebounds, three blocks and a season-high 13 assists in a dominant display as the NBA-leading Bucks improved to 46-18.
But Antetokounmpo appeared set to fall one rebound short of a triple-double when he won the ball in the final seconds, dribbling to the basket.
With the Wizards defense letting him run, a wide open Antetokounmpo opted not to score but gently tossed the ball off the backboard to himself to bring up his 10th rebound.
"I was thinking about scoring the ball, but I feel like in those situations it's best to kind of keep the ball," Antetokounmpo told reporters, before adding with a wink. "But yeah, I just try to play the game smart and kinda stole one."
The NBA has previously overturned similar stat-padding with Atlanta Hawks guard Bob Sura retrospectively denied a triple-double by the league in 2004.
Antetokounmpo's triple-double aside, the Bucks showcased their depth with six players reaching double-figure scoring, led by Jevon Carter with 20 points off the bench including six three-pointers.
Jrue Holiday (19 points), Brook Lopez (15 points), Joe Ingles (14 points) and Grayson Allen (11 points) all contributed strongly.
Six Bucks players also hit multiple three-pointers, with the team shooting 22-of-49 from beyond the arc.
"We feel like we’ve got a lot of depth," Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer said. "We've got a lot of guys that are good shooters that can get hot from the three-point line.
"So that's part of a good team and being able to play on back-to-backs and make it through the season and be prepared for the playoffs."
Memphis Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins addressed Ja Morant's suspension prior to Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Clippers, highlighting his star point guard's "difficult decisions and poor choices".
Morant, the reigning Most Improved Player and All-NBA Second Team selection, was suspended by the team on Saturday after appearing to show a gun on camera while in a nightclub. It is the latest in a string of questionable incidents from Morant.
In May last year, he tweeted "it's free to see how hollows feel" as a threat to an online troll, and just over a month ago members of his entourage were banned from the Grizzlies' home arena after Indiana Pacers staff reported to the league that they believed someone in Morant's car pointed a laser attached to a gun at them.
Days after the laser situation, he was also named in a police report after a 17-year-old kid claimed Morant punched him multiple times and then retrieved a gun from his house as a threat after a pick-up basketball game escalated to violence.
When asked about Morant's nightclub video, Jenkins was clear that the team was disappointed with his actions.
"Very tough moment, for sure," he said. "He understands he's made some difficult decisions and poor choices in the past that he's got to account for.
"He's definitely embracing the mistakes that he's made, but only time will tell. We're going to support him and we're going to hold him accountable to make those changes."
When asked for a specific date that Morant would rejoin the team, Jenkins said there is no "definitive timeline", calling it "an ongoing healing process".
"We love him, we want what's best for him, we support him," he said. "It's going to be a difficult process, but we've got a great group to get through this.
"This is a tough time for a young kid that's got to grow and get better. He's got huge responsibilities – not just for the team, for the city – but I know how he's built with that care factor and what steps he's now taking.
"It's a step in the direction of really being the best version of himself. [He is] a generally amazing person, great family person, a father, brother, son, member of our community.
"My hope is that he just gets better. He knows he's got a lot of love and support."
The New York Knicks secured their ninth straight victory with an epic 131-129 double over-time win over the Boston Celtics as Immanuel Quickley scored a career-high 38 points.
Quickley stepped into the Knicks starting line-up in the absence of Jalen Brunson (left foot injury), playing a career-high 55 minutes, and scoring their first seven of 10 points overall in the second over-time period.
The Knicks shooting guard scored 27 of his 38 points in the second half including OT. He made 15-of-28 attempts from the field, including five-of-12 from beyond the arc, with eight rebounds, seven assists and four steals.
But the Celtics almost snatched victory, with Al Horford's three-point attempt on the buzzer rimming out after a pass from Jayson Tatum.
Tatum also spurned a chance to win it in the first over-time period, missing a two-point attempt after Jaylen Brown kept the ball for too long with the clock ticking down, putting his team-mate under pressure for a tough look.
Brown had sent the game to OT with a three-point play after a foul from Quentin Grimes at the end of regulation squared it up.
Tatum finished with 40 points on 12-of-30 shooting with six-of-17 from three-point range, 11 rebounds and six assists. Brown added 29 points, while Horford had 20 points, making six-of-10 three-point attempts, but not the crucial last one.
Randle offered excellent support to Quickley with 31 points, nine rebounds and four assists, draining five triples. The win improved the Knicks' record to 39-27, sitting fifth in the east.
AD leads Lakers past GSW in Curry's return
Stephen Curry scored 27 points on his return from injury, but it was not enough as Anthony Davis led the Los Angeles Lakers past the Golden State Warriors 113-105 in a big Western Conference clash.
Davis scored 39 points, including 12 in the fourth quarter to lead the Lakers home, improving their record to 31-34 as he continues to shine in LeBron James' absence with a foot injury.
The result snapped the Warriors' five-game winning streak even with Curry back in action after a left leg injury. The Golden State guard added 19 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter, shooting five-of-13 from three-point range.
Booker and Doncic square off as Suns win
Kevin Durant landed a fadeaway jumper with 11 seconds left to earn the Phoenix Suns a 130-126 victory over Kyrie Irving's Dallas Mavericks in another huge clash in the West.
Devin Booker and Luka Doncic squared off face to face after the Mavs guard missed a two-point shot at 128-126 with 3.5 seconds remaining, earning them both technical fouls. That square-off was a flashback to the tense Mavs-Suns Conference Semi-Finals last season, when Dallas eliminated Phoenix in a Game 7 blowout.
Durant finished with 37 points and seven rebounds in his first match-up against his former Nets team-mate Irving, since both left Brooklyn. Booker added 36 points with 10 assists for Phoenix, while Doncic finished with 34 points and nine rebounds and Irving had 30 points.
Donna Vekic stamped her red-hot start to 2023 with her first title of the season, defeating world number five Caroline Garcia 6-4 3-6 7-5 in the Monterrey Open final on Sunday.
Vekic, 26, has now won 14 of her past 16 matches dating back to New Year's Eve, and she dropped only two sets through her five matches in Mexico this week. She also made the 2023 Australian Open quarter-finals, losing to eventual winner Aryna Sabalenka.
The Croatian grabbed the early break to control the first frame, and when serving for the set, Vekic showed grit to fight back from a 40-0 deficit and save three break points en route to securing the opener.
She kept her momentum rolling into the second, breaking and consolidating to jump ahead 2-0, but the response from France's Garcia showed why she was the WTA Finals champion last season, rattling off five games in a row.
But Vekic showed no signs of slowing down, and Garcia was forced to save eight break points to keep the third set level, before the dam finally broke at 6-5 to prevent a tiebreaker.
It was the fourth title of Vekic's career, but only her second since 2017, having snapped a four-year drought at the 2021 Courmayeur Ladies Open.
Santiago's own Nicolas Jarry thrilled his hometown crowd with a stirring come-from-behind 6-7 (5-7) 7-6 (7-5) 6-2 triumph in Sunday's Chile Open final against Tomas Martin Etcheverry.
Jarry, 27, had not made it through to an ATP final since his first and only title win at the 2019 Swedish Open, but the wait was worth it as the Santiago crowd treated him like royalty.
There were no breaks of serve in the opening set, and only one opportunity, but Jarry found himself a set down for the second match in a row after falling short in the tiebreaker.
But just like he did in his semi-final comeback against Jaume Munar, Jarry dug in and quickly ran out to a 3-0 lead in the second set.
It was short-lived, as Etcheverry rallied back to tie things up and force another tiebreaker, when Jarry turned around a 4-2 deficit and rattled off three important points in a row to gain the ascendancy, successfully serving it out to take things to a decider.
After posting an accurate first serve percentage of at least 67 per cent in each of the first two sets, Etcheverry fell apart in the third, landing only 36 per cent of his first serves fair, and winning just half (11-of-22) of his total service points.
Meanwhile, when it mattered most, Jarry's serve became overwhelming, winning 94 per cent (16-of-17) of his service points to slam the door shut on his Argentine challenger.
Devin Booker admitted there is some extra feeling in the rivalry between his side and Luka Doncic's Dallas Mavericks after Kevin Durant hit the game-winner in the Phoenix Suns' 130-126 victory on Sunday.
In a star-studded showdown, Durant (37 points), Booker (36), Doncic (34) and Kyrie Irving (30) all eclipsed 30 points each, and the contest took on a playoff atmosphere in the second half.
The Suns were unceremoniously dumped out of last season's playoffs on their home floor by the Mavericks in a 123-90 Game 7 blowout, and the rivalry only grew stronger after Booker and Doncic went nose-to-nose in the final seconds on Sunday.
After Durant hit a mid-range pull-up to give the Suns a 128-126 lead with 12 seconds left, Doncic tried to answer and send it to overtime, but his uncontested layup somehow did not drop after discarding his defender.
Durant snatched down the rebound to seal the game, and Booker appeared to have words for Doncic about the miss, with the pair having to be separated.
When asked after the game about what was said, Booker claimed he was initially talking to the referee before Doncic directed a comment his way.
"I was talking to the ref – [Doncic] said something first so I responded," he said. "You guys say you don't want everyone to be friendly-friendly – there you go, we got some smoke.
"It's just two competitors going at it, like I just said, everyone speaks on how friendly the NBA is now, and don't like that. I've got no problem with Luka – on or off the court – but when we're competing, we're competing."
Doncic laughed at the notion Booker did not instigate the scuffle, and subtly referenced his own "everybody acting tough when they're up" comments from the playoffs by telling the Suns star to keep the same energy throughout the contest.
"Oh no, he was talking to me." he said. "It's not for TV, I would get fined, the NBA would fine me. Based on the words, I don't think [Booker was talking to the referee].
"It's fine, it's just a competitive game, it's all good – just next time don't wait until there's three seconds left to talk."
But Doncic also had plenty of nice things to say about his Western Conference rivals.
"They're incredible," he said. "After everything, those two guys are probably one of the best in the league – Book and KD – but I love it, it's competitive.
"I think today was a great game to watch, and they have an amazing team."
Marcus Smith has been recalled to England's 36-man squad ahead of next weekend's Six Nations clash with France.
The fly-half was not part of England's training camp in Brighton after being omitted from the squad by Steve Borthwick.
Smith instead played for Harlequins in Saturday's 40-5 victory over Exeter Chiefs at Twickenham, where he set up two tries in an impressive display.
After getting some valuable minutes under his belt at club level, Smith is firmly in Red Rose head coach Borthwick's plans for Saturday's visit of France.
Joe Heyes also returned to England's extended squad that was announced on Sunday, while the uncapped Cadan Murley was included on the list.
Borthwick is scheduled to announce his 23-man matchday squad on Tuesday as England look to keep their outside Six Nations title hopes alive.
They lost to Scotland in their opening fixture of Borthwick's reign, but they have since defeated Italy and Wales to sit within five points of leaders Ireland.
Full England squad:
Forwards: Ollie Chessum, Dan Cole, Ben Curry, Alex Dombrandt, Tom Dunn, Ben Earl, Ellis Genge, Jamie George, Joe Heyes, Nick Isiekwe, Maro Itoje, Courtney Lawes, Lewis Ludlam, David Ribbans, Bevan Rodd, Sam Simmonds, Kyle Sinckler, Mako Vunipola, Jack Walker, Jack Willis.
Backs: Henry Arundell, Owen Farrell, Tommy Freeman, George Ford, Ollie Lawrence, Max Malins, Joe Marchant, Alex Mitchell, Cadan Murley, Henry Slade, Marcus Smith, Freddie Steward, Manu Tuilagi, Jack van Poortvliet, Anthony Watson, Ben Youngs.
Kurt Kitayama made sure his 50th start on the PGA Tour would be one he never forgets after winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational by one stroke on Sunday with a final score of nine under.
Kitayama, 30, is in his seventh season after making his debut in the 2016-17 campaign, and he finally earned his first PGA Tour victory to go with two wins on the European Tour and one Asian Tour triumph.
It was far from smooth sailing, with a catastrophic triple-bogey on the ninth hole ruining Kitayama's bright start to his final trip around Bay Hill, taking him from a two-stroke lead at 11 under, back to one behind the leaders.
But he kept his composure, rattling off seven pars in a row to begin his back nine, before what ended up being the tournament-winning birdie on the tricky par-three 17th.
Rory McIlroy and Harris English both had birdie putts on the 18th to reach nine under, but could not convert, meaning Kitayama just needed a par on the last to secure the win.
He left himself with a long two-putt for the title, and he almost made it in one, coming up an inch short to set up a tap-in par.
Illustrating how difficult the course played over the weekend, Kitayama was nine under through two rounds, and finished with back-to-back 72s as the field failed to chase him down.
McIlroy briefly tasted the outright lead after Kitayama's triple and Jordan Spieth's late collapse, but the Northern Irishman's seven birdies were balanced out by five bogeys, including two in a row on the 14th and 15th while he was out in front.
He finished tied for second at eight under with English, who was the only player in the field to finish with no bogeys on Saturday or Sunday.
Spieth found himself at 10 under through 13, but imploded with three bogeys over his next four to tie for fourth at seven under with Patrick Cantlay, Scottie Scheffler and Tyrell Hatton.
After a five-over outing on Saturday, Davis Riley bounced back with a 66 for the round of the day, catapulting him into an unlikely top-10 finish at six under.
Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk lifted her first WTA singles trophy after defeating Russia's Varvara Gracheva 6-3 7-5 in Sunday's ATX Open final.
Kostyuk only needed to beat one seeded opponent en route to the title, eliminating fourth seed Danielle Collins in the semi-final to set up a showdown against the 22-year-old ranked 88th in the world.
In an incredibly back-and-forth first set, eight of the nine games went against serve, including five consecutive breaks to begin the match, with the 20-year-old Kostyuk's lone hold good enough to take the lead.
With both players competing in their first final at this level, the nerves were apparent, as they combined for eight double faults in the opening set and another six in the second.
It was Gracheva pulling ahead 5-3 as she tried to force a decider, but after saving a set point, Kostyuk broke back to make it 5-5, and rattled off the final four games of the match to claim the title.
Coming into the tournament ranked 52nd in the world, Kostyuk will surpass her career-best mark of 45th when the next set of rankings are released.
Lewis Hamilton called for Mercedes to implement upgrades as soon as possible after a disappointing opening race at the Bahrain Grand Prix.
The seven-time world champion was well off the pace of the Red Bulls, who secured a one-two finish, and came fourth after losing his battle with former team-mate Fernando Alonso.
Aston Martin's show of strength is a particularly sore point for Mercedes, who supply their engine, gearbox and rear suspension, and fans may fear another tough season is on the cards for the team.
A disappointing campaign last term saw Mercedes respond to provide some competitiveness in the final rounds but Hamilton is keen for a much swifter reply this year.
"I thought the team did a great job in terms of pit stops and just unfortunately the car is not there at the moment," he told Sky Sports F1.
"We are just lacking downforce and we have got to work really hard to add that ASAP.
"Anything from in the wind tunnel, we need it tomorrow. We have really got to push massively to try and close that gap."
Team principal Toto Wolff is equally keen for developmental upgrades, but he feels a more radical approach is required.
The fact Aston Martin have impressed has provided some optimism, though, if the team can pinpoint where their success stems from.
"Red Bull is just on a different planet. That is what hurts because they are so far head, it reminds me of our best years because we just put a second on everybody else," he said.
"That is the benchmark and we have to do one step after the other to come back and we can do that. We can, absolutely we can.
"I think it needs to be much more radical in the steps than hope for a three-tenths upgrade.
"They [Aston Martin] deserve what they have done, they did a good job. The good news for us is there is a lot of Mercedes in there. To pinpoint it, that would be helpful in the recovery."
Charles Leclerc believes Red Bull are on "another planet" to their Formula One rivals after they dominated the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix.
Max Verstappen's title defence got off to a comfortable start with a victory on Sunday, with his team-mate Sergio Perez second and Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso in third.
Leclerc looked on course for a podium finish for Ferrari, but an engine failure led to his retirement.
The issue came despite Ferrari changing a component ahead of the race, one of only two permitted alterations allowed over the course of the season, which could lead to further pain for the Scuderia in future races.
While the cause of the problem was unknown to Leclerc, he made it clear the team must secure as many points as possible to keep Red Bull in sight.
"I have no idea what happened to the car when I lost the power, the only thing I know is that I did, I don't know for what reason," he told Sky Sports F1.
"I don't know if it is related to the change we had this morning, so I don't want to comment on that, but it is a shame.
"We expected to be on the back foot this weekend, especially in the race to Red Bull. That team is on another planet right now.
"But that's what exactly why most weekends we need to make sure we bring maximum points possible home and we didn't manage to do so."
Max Verstappen was delighted to break his Bahrain Grand Prix hoodoo, but Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez is promising a tight Formula One title race in 2023.
The reigning world champion picked up his first career victory at the Bahrain International Circuit to kick off the new season where he left off last term.
Verstappen led a one-two ahead of teammate Perez, while Fernando Alonso came third on his Aston Martin debut.
Having failed to win on any of his previous visits to Bahrain with the team, the Dutchman acknowledged he was gratified to finally claim a win at the circuit.
"I was very happy to finally win here in Bahrain," he said in his post-race interview. "It was a very good first stint. From there, it was about looking after the tyres.
"[There are] just little things we want to fine-tune. I think we have a good race package. I think it will depend race-to-race, [but] we can definitely fight with this."
Perez, who was aided in securing second by the late retirement of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc to an engine issue, feels he can press his team-mate this year though.
After finishing third in the standings last term, the Mexican is looking to ensure he can stay on the heels of the Dutchman as the latter eyes a third consecutive crown.
"We worked really hard over the winter, so it is nice to see all the boys enjoying the first race," he added. "It was important today to get both cars to the end.
"Finishing second was the maximum I could do today [with my start]. It is a long season. I think I am getting closer every single session and I will give my best."
Alonso, who departed Alpine for Aston Martin during the off-season, nabbed his first podium finish since he came third at the 2021 Qatar Grand Prix.
For the Spaniard, the oldest driver in the field at 41, it marked a vindication of his decision to make the move as he continues to defy expectations.
"[It is] amazing for the team, [it] was [a] great weekend," he added. "Finishing on the podium in the first race of the year, it is just amazing.
"What Aston Martin did over the winter to have the second-best car on race one, it's unreal."
Max Verstappen started the defence of his Formula One title with a comfortable victory at the Bahrain Grand Prix.
The two-time world champion was in front from the start and never truly came under threat, leading a Red Bull one-two ahead of Sergio Perez to secure his team's first opening-weekend victory since 2011.
With Charles Leclerc forced into a retirement due to an engine issue, Red Bull's closest challenger was Fernando Alonso, who worked his way through the field for a podium finish.
But a rejuvenated Aston Martin were no match for a dominant Verstappen and Red Bull in what proved to be a comfortable race for the defending champions.
Leclerc, who had a power unit change before the start, leapfrogged Perez to take second place at the start but could not stay ahead of the Mexican, who regained his grid position after the first round of pit stops on lap 26.
Mercedes' fight with Aston Martin was the battle to watch, Lewis Hamilton completing an undercut on Alonso before a stellar move on lap 38 saw the Spaniard move ahead again.
Engine problems for Leclerc led to his retirement three laps later, opening the door for Alonso to battle Carlos Sainz for a podium spot after the virtual safety car was deployed.
Alonso was able to catch his compatriot on lap 46 to clinch third spot in his first race for Aston Martin, though there was no challenge for Red Bull as they eased to only their second ever win in the first race of the year.
Ferrari frustration
Having had to retire from the lead twice in the 2022 season due to engine issues, Leclerc would have hoped those problems were a thing of the past heading into Ferrari's 2023 campaign.
Never appearing to have the pace to put the Red Bull duo under threat, calamity struck with another forced retirement in a nightmare start to the season.
Ocon's Alpine agony
Esteban Ocon's season did not get off to a good start, with the Frenchman given three time penalties over the course of the race.
An initial five-second penalty came for incorrect grid position, with a 10-second penalty following for failing to serve that correctly and another five-second penalty issued for speeding in the pit lane before the Alpine was eventually retired.
IN THE POINTS
1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2. Sergio Perez (Red Bull) +11.987
3. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) +36.637
4. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) +48.052
5. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) +50.977
6. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) +54.502
7. George Russell (Mercedes) +55.873
8. Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo) +1:12.647
9. Pierre Gasly (Alpine) +1:13.753
10. Alexander Albon (Williams) +1:20.870
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
Drivers
1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 25
2. Sergio Perez (Red Bull) 18
3. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) 15
4. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) 12
5. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) 10
Constructors
1. Red Bull 43
2. Aston Martin 23
3. Mercedes 16
4. Ferrari 12
5. Alfa Romeo 4
Charles Leclerc has taken a new power unit component ahead of the Formula One season opener in Bahrain.
The Ferrari driver, who starts third on the grid behind the Red Bulls of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, has a new energy store (ES) on his car.
No penalty will be issued for the Bahrain Grand Prix, though it leaves Ferrari in a challenging position for the remainder of the season as only two such changes are allowed over the course of the campaign.
The F1 season in 2023 will see a record-breaking 23 races on the calendar, Las Vegas having been added to the schedule.
Leclerc looked to be Verstappen's strongest rival last season, winning two of the opening three races, but reliability issues and strategy errors derailed his charge as he finished 146 points behind the Dutchman.
Changes were made at Ferrari ahead of the new season, Frederic Vasseur replacing Mattias Binotto as team principal.
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