By Richard Pagliaro | Saturday, Could 2, 2026
Photograph credit score: Mutua Madrid Open Fb
Remodeling terre battue to tennis trampoline, Marta Kostyuk flew to her largest title in Madrid.
All-court acrobat Kostyuk clipped Mirra Andreeva 6-3, 7-5 in as we speak’s Mutua Madrid Open closing then celebrated with a superb again flip.
Marta Kostyuk celebrates profitable her 1st WTA 1000 title in Madrid by doing a BACKFLIP on courtroom
AURA. pic.twitter.com/pg3fBIN1xC
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) May 2, 2026
The Twenty sixth-seeded Kostyuk had trigger for high-flying celebration.
Kostyuk captured her second straight clay-court crown, following her run to Rouen, as she scored her eleventh consecutive victory, bettering to an immaculate 11-0 on pink clay this season.
Asserting her all-court abilities, Kostyuk cranked her inside-out forehand with precision, transformed all 4 break factors she earned and coated the courtroom with vigor defeating Andreeva for the second time this season.
Hovering to her fifth Prime 10 win and second title of the season, former gymnast Kostyuk caught the touchdown on her backflip. If she will be able to proceed to play this model of dynamic tennis, Kostyuk might effectively proceed her ascent at Roland Garros.
“It feels unbelievable to face right here proper now. It took me a few years to succeed in this level,” Kostyuk stated throughout the trophy presentation. “One phrase I take into consideration proper now could be consistency.
“It’s displaying up on daily basis irrespective of how onerous it’s, irrespective of how a lot you like what you do. I’ve been doing that actually effectively the previous years, I believe, so I’m very pleased with myself and my group…
“Up till final 12 months, I believe I used to be 2-7 in Madrid. So I by no means, ever thought I’d have the ability to elevate the title right here. It was was not my favourite match for certain. Thanks, the group. it wouldn’t have been attainable with out you… Glory to God and glory to Ukraine.”
Tumbling to the courtroom whereas putting a forehand move to earn triple championship level, Kostyuk arose along with her again coated in a cloak of pink clay.
On her third championship level, Kostyuk attacked internet, drew an errant move and crashed to the courtroom shedding tears of pleasure.
The 2025 Dubai and Indian Wells champion Andreeva performed higher because the match progressed, together with a three-game run to go up 3-2. Kostyuk dug in and denied a few set factors holding for 5-all.
Andreeva betrayed her trigger double-faulting the essential break and a 6-5 result in Kostyuk. Nonetheless, Andreeva, who celebrated her nineteenth birthday on April twenty ninth, competed with extra maturity than she did in her Indian Wells implosion final month and battled again into the match.
There was no customary post-match hand shake as Ukrainian Kostyuk doesn’t shake palms with Russian and Belarusian gamers in protest of Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. Afterward, Andreeva credited Kostyuk for a well-earned win.
“First I want to congratulate Marta and the group for this wonderful win as we speak,” Andreeva stated. “You gained two tournaments in a row so that you’re enjoying very effectively. So congrats for this win as effectively.”
On this rematch of the Brisbane quarterfinals, Kostyuk was beating Andreeva to the ball, moving into the courtroom and enjoying off her entrance foot extra incessantly. It was Andreeva’s first loss in a WTA 1000 closing as she dropped to 12-2 on clay this season along with her solely different dust defeat coming to No. 2 Elena Rybakina in Stuttgart.
“Clearly, I imply, she performed effectively as effectively. She had loads of winners,” Andreeva stated. “She tried to go for her pictures, she performed very aggressive. At some factors I’ve been making an attempt to, you understand, simply type of stress her and be aggressive as effectively.
“At some factors I felt like I used to be profitable extra factors the place I’d simply attempt to put the ball again within the courtroom and construct the purpose slowly, and type of get her drained. However anyway, none of that labored tremendous effectively as a result of clearly I didn’t win ultimately. Additionally, I imply, she performed effectively. So the mix of all of these issues I suppose made the result.”
In a great begin, Kostyuk cracked 4 winners: An ace, smash and forehand ripper opening the ultimate with an announcement love maintain.
The 19-year-old Andreeva, the second-youngest Madrid finalist in historical past after Caroline Wozniacki in 2009, netted a drop shot to fall right into a 15-30 gap within the sixth recreation.
Crouching a few toes contained in the baseline, Kostyuk crushed a forehand return winner for double break level. Within the ensuing 18-shot rally, Kostyuk hammered a forehand drive volley to arrange a ending forehand, celebrating the break and a 4-2 lead with loud “Come on!”
The Ukrainian held at 15 to again up the break for 5-2 after 23 minutes of play.
“I wished to start out the match placing stress on her. I used to be serving very well as we speak,” Kostyuk stated. “Concerning the second set, I imply, she performed actually, actually good three video games. I simply wished to maintain doing the identical factor, and it labored out.
“However clearly each units had been tremendous shut. I had break factors down once I was serving for the set. Then she had two set factors. So it might go any method, however very completely happy to complete this match in two units.”
Coach Conchita Martinez stood within the field waving her palms up and down in a gesture for Andreeva to maneuver her toes sooner. Andreeva held at 15 forcing Kostyuk to serve for the set.
In an bold level, Andreeva smacked a forehand drive volley for double break level. Kostyuk erased each break factors, together with drawing a backhand error to save lots of the second.
In a easily very good present of all-court abilities, Kostyuk conjured a Martina Hingis-style lob-volley from the baseline to increase the purpose, fired a forehand to flip her standing from protection to offense and dabbed a drop volley winner for a second set level. That was a prime-time play from Kostyuk and she or he sealed a one-set lead after 34 minutes when Andreeva floated a lob lengthy.
The pair traded breaks to start out the second set.
Regaining her vary and rhythm, Andreeva was hitting her backhand with extra authority and ambition. She used the lob smash mixture to earn double break level. When Kostyuk badly bungled a smash into internet, Andreeva broke once more for her third straight recreation and a 3-1 lead.
The Kostyuk forehand was clicking as she got here proper again with triple-break level and drilled a diagonal forehand winner breaking again at love for 2-3.
The 23-year-old Ukrainian charged by way of eight straight factors to stage after six video games.
The set appeared headed for a tiebreaker when Andreeva coughed up her third double fault ceding serve and a 6-5 result in Kostyuk.
When her second of fact arrived, Kostyuk took it on the rise with that attacking run to shut in a single hour, 21 minutes.
Bounding in that good backflip, Kostyuk lands a brand new career-high rating of No. 15 in the WTA Live Rankings.
