Kostyuk reaches first WTA 1000 final in a match overshadowed by what happened off the court
Marta Kostyuk beat Anastasia Potapova 6-2, 1-6, 6-1 on Thursday evening and will face Russian Mirra Andreeva, the No 9 seed, in the final
Marta Kostyuk, Madrid 2026 | © Madrid Trophy Promotion
Marta Kostyuk, the No 26 seed, reached the final of the Mutua Madrid Open by beating Anastasia Potapova 6-2, 1-6, 6-1 on Thursday night — a strange, lopsided match in three one-sided sets that was as notable for what happened in the stands as on the court.
Kostyuk was dominant in the first set and the last, winning them with a combined scoreline of 12-3. The second set belonged entirely to Potapova, who won it 6-1 with the kind of aggressive tennis that had carried her through the week. Then she lost the thread — and the microphones caught why.
During the third set, her boyfriend and Dutch world No 25 Tallon Griekspoor, who had helped her through the Pliskova quarter-final two days earlier, could be heard from the players’ box. “Keep pushing. You’re right there,” he said at one point. Potapova’s reply: “Do you see the scoreboard?” It was 2-0. Sooner, at a more critical moment: “You need to believe in yourself.” Potapova: “I do.” Griekspoor: “You don’t.”
No handshake
Kostyuk won the third set 6-1.
Kostyuk confirmed ahead of the semi-final that she would not shake hands with Potapova at the net, despite the latter having switched her nationality from Russia to Austria in December. “The only person I shake hands with is Daria Kasatkina,” Kostyuk said, “because not only did she change her passport, she also openly said she does not support the war.” There was no handshake.
Kostyuk faces Mirra Andreeva in Saturday’s final – a 19-year-old Russian who beat Hailey Baptiste in Thursday’s first semi-final. Their most recent meeting was here in Madrid last year, where Kostyuk won 6-3, 6-2. The head-to-head stands at 1-1. Saturday’s final is scheduled for the afternoon session on Manolo Santana Stadium.
