![\"Marta](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Marta-Kostyuk-Madrid-Open-6898054.jpg\" "\\"Marta")
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Marta Kostyuk became emotional after winning her biggest title at the Madrid Open (Image: Sky Sports)<\/p>\n
Marta Kostyuk continued her sensational clay season by claiming the biggest title of her career at the Madrid Open, and then refused a handshake with Russian opponent Mirra Andreeva<\/a>. The Ukrainian world No. 23 has not shaken hands<\/a> with her Russian and Belarusian colleagues since the war in Ukraine began, and maintained that stance following Saturday\u2019s final at the Caja Magica.<\/p>\n Contesting her first WTA 1000 final, Kostyuk showed no signs of nerves as she breezed through the first set and then came through a close second to beat ninth seed Andreeva 6-3 7-5. She dropped to the ground in disbelief and burst into tears. Afterwards, the newly-crowned champion walked straight to shake hands with the umpire, instead of meeting her opponent at the net.<\/p>\n Andreeva knew there wouldn\u2019t be a handshake, given Kostyuk\u2019s position, and also only shook hands with the umpire before heading straight to her bench, where she cried into a towel. This is the first WTA 1000 final the teenager has lost. Last year, she won Dubai and Indian Wells back-to-back.<\/p>\n Kostyuk had arrived in Madrid full of form after winning the recent WTA 250 event in Rouen. The 23-year-old shocked fifth seed Jessica Pegula in the second round and kept on rolling, looking unstoppable throughout the fortnight.<\/p>\n The No. 26 seed dropped just one set to Anastasia Potapova in the semi-finals, and she\u2019s now on an 11-match winning streak after winning back-to-back titles in Rouen and Madrid. And Kostyuk celebrated her title triumph in unique fashion with a backflip on the court.<\/p>\n The Ukrainian also headed over to celebrate with her team before returning to her bench and becoming emotional again. Although she didn\u2019t shake hands with Andreeva, Kostyuk applauded her opponent as she took to the stage to collect her runner-up plate during the trophy presentation.<\/p>\n Mirra Andreeva cried on her bench after losing the Madrid Open final (Image: Sky Sports)<\/p>\n However, world No. 23 didn\u2019t personally congratulate Andreeva during her own victory speech. Kostyuk instead paid tribute to all of her opponents throughout the tournament. \u201cI want to thank all my opponents that I played this week. I mean, the girls pushed me to the limit, one of the most unbelievable matches for me these weeks. Very special two weeks here,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Kostyuk did the same after losing to Belarusian star Aryna Sabalenka <\/a>in the Brisbane final back in January. They didn’t shake hands or pose together for trophy ceremony photos, and the Ukrainian didn\u2019t personally mention Sabalenka in her speech<\/p>\n The Madrid Open champion still paid tribute to her team, the tournament staff, and the fans after claiming a maiden WTA 1000 title. \u201cIt feels unbelievable to stand here right now. It took me many years to reach this point, and one word I think about right no is consistency,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s showing up everyday no matter how hard it is, no matter how much you love or hate what you do, and I’ve been doing that really well the past years, I think, so I’m very proud of myself and my team.\u201d<\/p>\n EXPRESS SPORT ON FB! Get all the best sports news and much more on our Facebook page<\/a><\/p>\n Stay up-to-date with the latest Tennis news Join us on WhatsApp<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Mirra](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Mirra-Andreeva-Madrid-Open-6898047.jpg\" "\\"Mirra")
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