The celebration was as athletic as the match itself. After the final point landed, Marta Kostyuk, a former gymnast, launched into a backflip on the Manolo-Santana court. As the crowd in Madrid erupted in applause, the 23-year-old Ukrainian sealed a victory that capped a strong run through the tournament draw.
Kostyuk defeated the world number 8, Mirra Andreeva, with a 6-3, 7-5 scoreline in a match that lasted 1 hour and 21 minutes. According to AFP, the win marks Kostyuk’s second consecutive title following her success at the WTA 250 in Rouen.
Tactical pressure and the first-set break
From the opening games, Kostyuk established a rhythm that left the 19-year-old Andreeva struggling to find her footing. The Ukrainian focused her aggression on Andreeva’s serve, which struggled throughout the opening set. Reports from France 24 indicate that Andreeva managed a first-serve percentage of only 43%, a vulnerability Kostyuk exploited with precision.
The tactical battle in the first set was defined by Kostyuk’s patience and court positioning. She consistently fixed Andreeva in place, waiting until the last possible moment to execute a cross-court forehand. This approach allowed Kostyuk to control the rallies and move the Russian defender across the court, eventually carving out a 4-2 lead that she maintained to take the set 6-3.
For Andreeva, who has already claimed two WTA 1000 titles in 2025 at Indian Wells and Dubai, the first set demonstrated the level of pressure Kostyuk can apply during a strong performance. While Andreeva is known as a clay-court specialist with 12 wins on the surface this season and a title at the WTA 500 in Linz in mid-April, she could not find an answer for the Ukrainian’s early aggression.
The second-set tension and the double-fault shift
The second set saw a shift in momentum as Andreeva began to find her range. The exchanges became more balanced and the Russian’s shot-making became more accurate, allowing her to claw back into the match. The tension peaked when Andreeva earned two set points, threatening to force a deciding third set.
For more on this story, see Kostyuk Beats Potapova to Reach First WTA 1000 Final in Madrid.
Kostyuk responded to the pressure with her serve. In the critical game where Andreeva held the advantage, the Ukrainian fired two aces to save the set points and hold her serve. The swing in momentum was immediate. As the match progressed to 5-6, the younger player appeared more nervous and agitated following the missed opportunities.
The breaking point arrived when Andreeva committed a double fault, handing Kostyuk a match point. Kostyuk converted the opportunity shortly after, ending the contest in 1 hour and 21 minutes. The emotional contrast at the net was stark; while Kostyuk celebrated her first Madrid crown, Andreeva was in tears.
“extrêmement bien en ce moment” Mirra Andreeva, World No. 8
Despite the loss, Andreeva praised the form of her opponent, noting that Kostyuk is playing extrêmement bien en ce moment
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A power vacuum at the Caja Magica
Kostyuk’s ascent in Madrid comes at a time when the established hierarchy of women’s tennis struggled on the clay of the Caja Magica. The tournament saw several early exits from the world’s top-seeded players, which provided an opening for Kostyuk to advance through the bracket.
This follows our earlier report, Nosková vypadla v Madridu s Kosťukovou a přerušila sérii výher.
World number 1 Aryna Sabalenka, the defending champion, was eliminated in the quarterfinals. Similarly, world number 2 Elena Rybakina and world number 3 Coco Gauff—the finalist from the previous edition—both exited the tournament in the round of 16. The early departures of these top three seeds created a path for a player with a strong run of form on the clay surface.
For Kostyuk, the timing of this victory is critical. She enters the final stretch of the clay season with 11 consecutive victories on the surface. This streak suggests a level of comfort and consistency that few other players in the draw managed to maintain over the course of the tournament.
Looking toward Roland-Garros
The victory in Madrid serves as the ultimate springboard for the upcoming French Open, scheduled from May 24 to June 7. With her ranking climbing to 15th, Kostyuk avoids the volatility of the lower seeds and enters the draw as a seeded player with significant momentum.
The combination of her current 11-match win streak on clay and the confidence gained from winning a WTA 1000 event positions her as a strong competitor for the upcoming tournament in Paris. Her ability to maintain composure during high-pressure moments—specifically evidenced by the two aces she used to save set points in the Madrid final—suggests she has the mental fortitude required for a Grand Slam run.
After the trophy ceremony, Kostyuk took a moment to congratulate all her opponents before concluding her speech with a patriotic nod to her home country.
“Gloire à l’Ukraine” Marta Kostyuk, WTA 1000 Madrid Champion
As the tour moves toward the red clay of Paris, the focus will be on whether Kostyuk can translate this 11-match streak into a deep run at Roland-Garros, potentially disrupting a draw already shaken by the struggles of the top seeds in Madrid.
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