Final with political as well as sporting implications: victory for the 23-year-old from Kiev with a score of 6-3 7-5
The final of the WTA Masters 1000 in Madrid had political as well as sporting implications. A challenge between a Ukrainian, Marta Kostyuk, and a Russian, Mirra Andreeva, full of meaning, like every match between representatives of the two nations at war since 2022. Kostyuk won, her first triumph at Masters 1000 level in her career. A success that came at the Caja Magica after a not great, obviously tense match, which the 23-year-old from Kiev won in two sets (6-3 7-5 in an hour and 21 minutes) without too many problems.
no greeting
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The two totally ignored each other during the match, no greetings or anything. Not even at the end, when Kostyuk “collapsed” exultantly onto the clay and Andreea headed furiously towards the bench, was there the ritual sign with the rackets. Handshake at the net, not even talking about it. The two did not pose together for the photo with the trophies, but separately. Andreeva, however, during her speech, complimented Marta (who shortly before had also performed a backflip to celebrate) for her incredible game. Zero hints from Kostyuk, who has always been one of the most intransigent and faithful to the cause of her Ukraine. Not for nothing, the images of Marta training, precisely to prepare for the clay season, in her Kiev, with the anti-missile warning sirens in the background, are still imprinted in everyone’s memories. At the end of his speech, Kostyuk said “Slava Ukraini”, glory to Ukraine, words of resistance now famous throughout the world.
the match
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The Ukrainian tennis player, number 23 in the world (from Monday she will be 15, her best ranking), was right about a Mirra Andreeva who certainly didn’t seem to be at her best. The nineteen year old from Krasnoyarsk seemed like an unstoppable phenomenon last year, with a rise that now seems to have stopped a bit. Let’s understand, Andreeva is a phenomenon (top 5 at 18 years old), but overall perhaps her talent was overestimated, which remains pure but with many points of her tennis that remain and which make her predictable on certain occasions, but she has all the time in the world to improve. In the first set Kostyuk dominated far and wide, while in the second the Ukrainian also canceled two set points to the Russian, at 5-4 in favor of Andreeva. From there three games in a row to close the issue. For the Ukrainian it is the third title of her career, the second of the season after the 250 in Austin.
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