Winning ugly counts just the same.
In a week full of highlight-worthy performances for Marta Kostyuk, Thursday’s semifinal win over Anastasia Potapova wasn’t one of them. But it didn’t have to be. The 6-2, 1-6, 6-1 victory in 1 hour and 36 minutes sends her into her first WTA 1000 final in Madrid, where she’ll face No. 9 seed Mirra Andreeva for what would be the biggest title of her career.
Madrid: Scores | Draws | Order of play
The match wrapped just before midnight inside Manolo Santana Stadium, but despite the late finish, Kostyuk looked energized as she walked off the court.
The win marks her 10th straight main-draw victory at the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz level, extending the best stretch of her career. Coming off a title in Rouen, she is through to back-to-back finals for the first time. The Ukrainian also improves to 3-2 against Potapova and has now won three straight in the head-to-head.
Credit to Potapova. After straight-set losses in their previous two meetings, including last year’s Mutua Madrid Open fourth round, she punched back with a dominant second set to force a decider this time around. It was the first set Kostyuk has dropped all week.
More to come…
