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For Marta Kostyuk, her first WTA 1000 final will go beyond the tennis court
TL;DR
Marta Kostyuk is set to compete in her first WTA 1000 final against Mirra Andreeva at the Madrid Open. This follows her recent victory at the WTA 250 Rouen Open and highlights her ongoing stance against players from Russia and Belarus due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
Key points
- Marta Kostyuk won her first title in three years at WTA 250 Rouen Open.
- She will compete in her first WTA 1000 final against Mirra Andreeva.
- Kostyuk does not shake hands with players from Russia and Belarus.
- The refusal is due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine since 2022.
- Kostyuk previously faced Aryna Sabalenka in a contentious match.
Marta KostyukMirra AndreevaAryna SabalenkaMadrid Open
MADRID — Marta Kostyuk is having herself a month.
Two weeks ago, she won her first title in three years, at the WTA 250 Rouen Open in France. On Saturday, she will play for the biggest one of her career, when she meets Mirra Andreeva in the Madrid Open final. It is Kostyuk’s first WTA 1000 title tilt, a year on from a tempestuous quarterfinal in the Spanish capital against world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka.
Kostyuk lost that match 7-6(4), 7-6(7), but it turned with Sabalenka serving down 5-4 in the second-set tiebreak. She missed a first serve, with rain falling. She then approached chair umpire Jenny Zhang, who told her to continue. Sabalenka threw the ball up, caught it, and went to sit on her bench. Zhang explained to Kostyuk that Sabalenka would then get a first serve when the match resumed, but Sabalenka had been the one who stopped it, not the umpire. Kostyuk was furious. The rain stopped. Sabalenka won.
There was no handshake at the end of that match, and not because of the serve acrimony. Kostyuk, and the other players from Ukraine on the WTA Tour, do not shake hands with players from Russia and Belarus. They have not done so since Russia, with assistance from Belarus, invaded Ukraine in 2022.
The same will be true of Kostyuk’s final against Andreeva, and it was true of the player Kostyuk beat to get there: Anastasia Potapova, who switched nationality to Austria last year. Russian and Belarusian players are not currently allowed to play under their own flags.
Kostyuk named one exception to her policy, but she said that Potapova’s switch in nationality, and others like it, did not change her sentiments.
“The only person that I shake hands with is Daria Kasatkina, because she didn’t just change her passport, she also openly said that she doesn’t support the war,” she said in a news conference ahead of her 6-2, 1-6, 6-1 win over Potapova, who reached the semifinals after entering as a lucky loser, thanks to Madison Keys’ withdrawal due to illness.
Q&A
What is Marta Kostyuk's recent achievement in tennis?
Marta Kostyuk recently won her first title in three years at the WTA 250 Rouen Open.
Who will Marta Kostyuk face in her first WTA 1000 final?
Marta Kostyuk will face Mirra Andreeva in her first WTA 1000 final at the Madrid Open.
Why do Ukrainian players like Kostyuk refuse to shake hands with Russian and Belarusian players?
Ukrainian players, including Kostyuk, refuse to shake hands with Russian and Belarusian players due to the ongoing conflict stemming from Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
What happened during Kostyuk's previous match against Aryna Sabalenka?
In her previous match against Aryna Sabalenka, Kostyuk lost in a controversial second-set tiebreak that involved a rain delay and a disputed serve decision.