Marta Kostyuk claimed the women's Madrid Open title after overpowering Mirra Andreeva in an impressive straight-sets victory.
The 23-year-old Ukrainian secured a career-best victory, her first WTA 1000 title, after sealing a 6-3 7-5 win over Andreeva and marked the win with a backflip.
The two players, whose countries have been at war since Russia's invasion in 2022, did not shake hands at the net after the match. Kostyuk finished her victory speech with "glory to God and glory to Ukraine."
"I would like to congratulate Marta and her team for the win today and for her season," Andreeva said, while Kostyuk clapped. "You have won two tournaments in a row, so congrats."
Kostyuk had previously claimed WTA titles in Austin in 2023 and Rouen last month, but today, she arrived in the Spanish capital determined to claim more silverware.
She provided a terrific display of defence, raw power and confidence, which made life tough for 18-year-old Andreeva, who had a more polished and patient approach.
In the sixth game of the opening set, Kostyuk piled on the pressure, drawing a string of unforced errors from the Russian before breaking for a 4-2 lead. Another commanding hold stretched her advantage to 5-2.
Serving for the set, however, Kostyuk wobbled. She offered up two break points, which she saved to reach deuce, only to double fault on set point and level the contest once more. Regaining her composure, she closed it out 6-3.
The second set swung wildly. Andreeva donated an early break with successive unforced errors, then immediately hit back, earning two break points after a Kostyuk double fault and levelling at 1-1. She surged to 3-1 when Kostyuk missed a routine smash, the Ukrainian staring in disbelief as momentum appeared to shift.
It did not last. Kostyuk struck back for 3-3, capitalising on a triple break point, and the match turned into a test of nerve.
Leading 5-4 with Kostyuk serving to stay in the match, Andreeva conjured up three superb rallies to reach deuce but squandered a set point with an unforced error. She earned another with a dazzling winner, only for Kostyuk to hammer down two successive aces and level at 5-5.
The Russian's rollercoaster afternoon ended with a double fault that gave Kostyuk the decisive break at 6-5. This time there was no hesitation. Kostyuk served out the match in commanding fashion to secure a title that underlined both her firepower and resilience.
Held alongside her team and her two dogs, Kostyuk showed off a piece of black men's underwear, prompting raised eyebrows and plenty of laughter.
"We have a tournament laundry service and sometimes the clothes get mixed up and last year we ended up with this piece of underwear where in it was written 'Lucky Shorts'. So we kept it," Kostyuk told Spanish broadcaster Movistar Plus.
"My coach Sandra (Zaniewska) kept it as a lucky charm.
"She drove to her father's house just to pick it up before traveling here again for the tournament. And we made this promise that if I'd win we would bring the 'Lucky Shorts' for the photoshoot with the trophy."
Kostyuk was delighted to finally conquer a tournament she had long admired.
"This trophy tastes like champagne, no doubt about it," she said. "Honestly, watching this tournament as a child and remembering all the people who've won it before me, I never thought this was possible, it's amazing.
"It's one of the toughest tournaments of the year, and everyone plays so well, especially now. So it certainly tastes good, but I just want to enjoy this today and that's it."
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