Marta Kostyuk was clinical earlier today, as she comfortably defeated Mirra Andreeva to win the Madrid Open final.
It marked a maiden title at the WTA 1000 for the Ukrainian, who blew her opponent away in the first set before saving set points in the second.
Speaking afterwards, Kostyuk unsurprisingly cut an upbeat figure. She spoke well in her championship speech, and later headed over to Sky Sports to offer a more in-depth review of the match.
In discussing the final, she actually offered an insight into how she viewed Mirra Andreeva and the weakness she sought to exploit.
Marta Kostyuk analyses Mirra Andreeva’s game after the Madrid Open final
Kostyuk began her interview by thanking her physios for allowing her to play the final ‘almost pain-free’.
“That definitely helped to, you know, cover the court and get my legs moving,” she laughed, before explaining how that fitness contrasted with Andreeva’s gruelling past few weeks.
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She added: “I also knew that Mirra, like, you know, has played many tournaments as well. She won Linz, she played semis in Stuttgart. So I knew she’s probably gonna be tired as well, you know, she’s playing the final of doubles tomorrow as well. So she was playing even more than me.
“So I was hoping she’s gonna feel physically too, and I think I could feel it in the longer rallies where she wanted it to be finished faster, when she wanted to do the drop shot.
“So, you know, I was also trying to manage it to see that she’s struggling as well, but it definitely wasn’t easy.”
Andreeva was in tears as she gave her runners-up speech, but still spoke well about the victor, offering sincere congratulations.
The statistics behind Marta Kostyuk’s Madrid Open final win over Mirra Andreeva
A quick glance over the statistics in the final quickly shows how Kostyuk emerged victorious.
After all, she served superbly and came up with some supremely clutch moments to save four of the six break points she faced.
Andreeva, meanwhile, lost all four break points that Kostyuk conjured.
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The Russian had a tough serving day too, getting just 55% of her first serve in, and winning only 46% of points behind her second serve. For comparison, her opponent, and the new Madrid Open champion, got 60% of her first serves in, won 71% of points behind it, and a further 60% behind her second serve.
Kostyuk was also great at applying pressure to the Andreeva serve, with her bold strategy of standing high in the court to return, yielding some instant winners.
She was braver in the crucial moments, and good value for this title.
