Marta Kostyuk capped her Madrid Open triumph with a spectacular backflip, celebrating a defining moment in her career after defeating Mirra Andreeva 6-3, 7-5 in the women’s singles final on Saturday, May 2.
The victory marked Kostyuk’s maiden WTA 1000 title and just the third title of her career, underlining her rapid rise on the tour. She also became only the second Ukrainian woman to win a WTA 1000 crown. Riding a 12-match winning streak on clay — including a title in Rouen — Kostyuk now heads into the French Open in ominous form.
How Kostyuk beat Andreeva
Kostyuk came out firing, using her power to dictate rallies, while Andreeva relied on variation and patience to stay in contention. The Ukrainian seized control in the sixth game, breaking for 4-2 before stretching her lead to 5-2. Although she stumbled while serving for the set — double-faulting on set point — she quickly regrouped to close it out 6-3 in 34 minutes.
The second set turned into a tense battle, with both players trading breaks early on. Andreeva moved ahead 3-1, but Kostyuk responded to level at 3-3. At 5-4, Andreeva failed to convert crucial set points, while Kostyuk held firm under pressure, firing aces at key moments. A double fault from Andreeva handed Kostyuk the decisive break, and she calmly served out the match to seal the title.
“It feels unbelievable to be standing here right now,” Kostyuk said. “I can only thank my team for supporting me throughout the years. If you look at the stats, I was way down the line and never thought I would be here, playing the way I am.”
The 23-year-old entered the tournament as the 26th seed but produced a stunning run, defeating top players like Jessica Pegula, Caty McNally and Linda Noskova before beating Anastasia Potapova in the semi-finals.
Unbeaten on clay this season, Kostyuk’s red-hot form makes her one of the players to watch in Paris.
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