Marta Kostyuk Backflips Into Madrid Open Championship

WTA World No. 23 Marta Kostyuk faced a very challenging opponent in No. 8 Mirra Andreeva, but rose to the occasion — and then backflipped — in the 2026 Mutua Madrid Open final. Kostyuk defeated Andreeva in a straight-sets battle: 7-5, 6-3.

Of course, Kostyuk is a relentless spokesperson for her native Ukraine. That includes avoiding handshakes and direct mentions of her Russian (Andreeva and Anastasia Potapova) and Belarusian (Aryna Sabalenka) opponents because of the Russo-Ukrainian war. Meanwhile, the 19-year-old Andreeva is a fiery player who wears her emotions on her sleeve.

CUE THE BACKFLIP 🤩@marta_kostyuk races to her FIRST career WTA 1000 title with a straight sets win over Andreeva!#MMOPEN pic.twitter.com/sRIJwo8u9M
— wta (@WTA) May 2, 2026

After pulling off the upset, Kostyuk fell to her back on the clay court before getting up and doing a backflip to delight the crowd. Conversely, television cameras caught Andreeva sobbing into a towel on her bench.

Andreeva did not have long before she had to deliver her runners-up speech on the court. She held back tears and said, "I would like to congratulate Marta and her team for the win today and for her season." She highlighted Kostyuk's success on clay this spring, "You have won two tournaments in a row, so congrats."

this looks like sitcom her doing a backflip and then camera showing mira crying tennis is soooo nasty https://t.co/Oi71eoPNds
— 💋 (@prismpatia) May 2, 2026

"It feels unbelievable to stand her right now," Kostyuk referencing her previous struggles on clay. "Up until last year I was 2-7 in Madrid, and I never thought I would lift the title here." Kostyuk added, "It was not my favorite tournament for sure, but thanks to the crowd for supporting me."

Kostyuk thanked "all of her opponents" she played this week, avoiding any mention of Andreeva. She ended her on-court victory speech with "glory to God and glory to Ukraine."

Mirra Andreeva gets emotional while thanking her team 🥹

Well played this week, Mirra 🫶 #MMOPEN pic.twitter.com/7FaHqoBOcF
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) May 2, 2026

In addition to skipping the handshake, Kostyuk and Andreeva did not pose together for the normal photo shoots during the post-match awards ceremony on the court. Additionally, there were no questions or discussions of the geopolitical issues during either player's post-match press conference.

Kostyuk remains undefeated on clay and will rise from No. 23 to No. 15 in the WTA Rankings with a singles record of 17-4 with two titles. Meanwhile, Andreeva will remain as the No. 8 with a record of 26-8 with two titles.

UNDEFEATED ON CLAY THIS SEASON 🧱

A message from the champ, @marta_kostyuk!#MMOPEN pic.twitter.com/DTPCze3rwn
— wta (@WTA) May 2, 2026

The clay court season rolls on, which is good news for both players who are hitting their stride ahead of the French Open. The Internazionali BNL d'Italia (WTA 1000) is up next on the tour calendar. Stay locked into Sports Illustrated's Serve On SI for all of your tennis news from the court and beyond.

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