Marta Kostyuk is on the run of a lifetime. Just two weeks ago, she captured her first title in three years at the WTA 250 Rouen Open in France. Now, she's set her sights even higher. On Saturday, the Ukrainian star will step onto the biggest stage of her career, competing for the Madrid Open crown against Mirra Andreeva in her first-ever WTA 1000 final.
It's a moment that feels destined, especially given the drama that unfolded in Madrid just a year ago. In a tempestuous quarterfinal against world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, Kostyuk lost a tight match 7-6(4), 7-6(7). But it was the second-set tiebreak that truly ignited the tension. With Sabalenka serving at 5-4 and rain falling, she missed a first serve and approached chair umpire Jenny Zhang, who instructed her to continue. Sabalenka then tossed the ball up, caught it, and walked to her bench. When the match resumed, Zhang ruled that Sabalenka would get a first serve—a decision that infuriated Kostyuk, who felt Sabalenka had stopped play, not the umpire. The rain cleared, and Sabalenka took the win.
There was no handshake after that match, and it wasn't just about the serve controversy. Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022—with assistance from Belarus—Kostyuk and other Ukrainian players on the WTA Tour have refused to shake hands with players from Russia and Belarus. That policy will remain in place for Saturday's final against Andreeva, as it did against Anastasia Potapova, whom Kostyuk defeated in the semifinals. Potapova, who switched her nationality from Russia to Austria last year, is one of several players to change passports, though Russian and Belarusian athletes are currently barred from competing under their own flags.
Kostyuk has made one exception to her stance: Daria Kasatkina. "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," Kostyuk explained in a press conference after her 6-2, 1-6, 6-1 win over Potapova, who entered the semifinals as a lucky loser following Madison Keys' withdrawal due to illness. "This is why me and other girls made the decision to shake hands with her, purely out of respect. There have been multiple players who have changed their nationality, but none of them ever voiced anything against war."
As Kostyuk prepares for the biggest final of her career, her journey is about more than just tennis. It's about resilience, principle, and the courage to stand firm—both on and off the court.