Kostyuk beats Andreeva, wins first Madrid Open title
Last updated: May 3, 2026 | 10:23
Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk celebrates on the podium with her trophy after beating Russia's Mirra Andreeva during the 2026 WTA Tour Madrid Open tennis tournament final singles match at the Caja Magica in Madrid, on Saturday. AFP
Marta Kostyuk defeated Mirra Andreeva 6-3, 7-5 to win the Madrid Open for the first time on Saturday.
It was world number 23 Kostyuk’s first trophy at WTA 1000 level and her second title of the season.
She became only the second player outside of the top 20 to win the Madrid Open, in her third final of an impressive 2026 thus far.
“It feels unbelievable to stand here right now,” said Kostyuk, holding the trophy.
“It took me many years to reach this point and the one word I think about right now is consistency -- showing up every day no matter how hard it is, no matter how much you love or hate what you do.
“I’ve been doing that really well (over) the past years I think, so I’m very proud of myself and my team.”
Marta Kostyuk poses with her trophy. AFP
Kostyuk won when she met Andreeva in Brisbane earlier this year in their only prior meeting, and both have since enjoyed stellar starts to the clay-court swing.
The Ukrainian secured the first break to take a 4-2 lead in the opening set, with world number eight Andreeva struggling to handle her opponent’s superior power.
The 23-year-old Rouen Open winner spurned her first set point with a double fault but captured the second when Andreeva went long.
The Russian, who became favourite to win the tournament after Aryna Sabalenka was eliminated, made too many mistakes in the first set and Kostyuk was only too happy to take advantage of them.
Playing in her first WTA 1000 final, Kostyuk broke in the first game of the second set with Andreeva volleying into the net.
However, the 19-year-old broke back with a fizzing return down the line to tie at 1-1.
The players exchanged breaks again in the fourth and fifth games, before Kostyuk showed great resilience to save two set points and hold for 5-5.
Andreeva double faulted to give her opponent a 6-5 lead and the chance to serve for the title.
Kostyuk opened up three championship points and spurned the first two but triumphed when Andreeva sent a backhand long, collapsing to the floor in joy.
Russia's Mirra Andreeva looks dejected after losing her final match against Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk. Reuters
“Of course I would like to congratulate Marta, for how your clay season is going so far as well, you won two tournaments in a row, so you’re playing very well, so congrats for the win today,” said Andreeva, who could not hold back tears.
It was her third WTA 1000 final and her first defeat in one as she was unable to add to the 500 titles she won in Adelaide and Linz earlier this year.
Meanwhile, Jannik Sinner said the surge of adrenaline that comes with big matches had helped him push through mounting fatigue after the Italian reached his maiden Madrid final following another deep run in a packed season.
The 24-year-old has had a near non-stop schedule over the past two months, reaching the closing rounds in tournaments as the circuit moved from hardcourts to the clay season, winning titles at Indian Wells, Miami and Monte Carlo.
“I’ve played a lot in the last one and a half months, going very deep in tournaments,” Sinner told reporters after defeating Arthur Fils 6-2 6-4 in the Madrid semi-finals on Friday.
“It’s a good sign, of course, and at the same time you tend to get a little bit more tired.