The 2026 Mutua Madrid Open has been a tournament defined by unexpected upsets and non-traditional favorites. Now, we have the women’s champion, and the dust will settle at the Caja Mágica tomorrow with the men’s final.
Marta Kostyuk beat Mirra Andreeva in straight sets for the prestigious trophy, earning her first WTA 1000 title ever in the Spanish capital. Besides the 1,000 ranking points and a massive payday, the Ukrainian will be lifting one of the most unique, story-driven trophies in professional sports, inspired by Carlos Alcaraz.
How the 2026 Madrid Open Trophy Pays Tribute to Carlos Alcaraz
In the final on the Manolo Santana Stadium court, the 26th seed Kostyuk prevailed 6-3, 7-5 against No. 9 seed Andreeva to secure 1,000 ranking points, which increases her points total to 2,507, eight places, to a new career-high ranking of world No. 15. She became the second Ukrainian woman in history to win a WTA 1000 title, after Elina Svitolina. On top of those feats, Kostyuk will be awarded a uniquely designed trophy in Madrid.
For the past five years, instead of presenting victors with traditional silver cups, the tournament has awarded avant-garde sculptures designed by renowned Spanish artist David Rodríguez Caballero.
For the 2026 edition, Caballero turned to the explosive mechanics of Alcaraz to design the championship prize.
“This year’s Madrid Open trophy (named Aphormē) sculpture was inspired by a specific image: a photograph of Carlos Alcaraz serving,” Caballero explained. Based on a photo taken by Antonio Calanni in Turin, the artist used his signature metal-folding techniques to capture the sheer physical violence of the Spaniard’s serve. “The torso is perfectly sharp, but his racket appears to be in motion,” Caballero said, creating a three-dimensional shape that transforms into “a funnel or a spiral in motion.”
In the men’s final, Jannik Sinner will face Alexander Zverev to win the Aphormē. It also points out the irony that Alcaraz had to miss the tournament due to a right wrist injury. Last year, it was Aryna Sabalenka who lifted the unique trophy, named Kineo, made out of aluminum and brass to symbolize gold and silver.
Kostyuk has been an absolute force of nature in Madrid. The Ukrainian’s resilience was on full display during the semifinal clash against the tournament’s ultimate Cinderella story, Anastasia Potapova, the lucky loser.
Despite an intense, viral courtside intervention from Potapova’s boyfriend, Tallon Griekspoor, trying to rally his partner, the 23-year-old remained unfazed and dominated the final set 6-1 to punch her ticket to the championship match with an 11-match winning streak. She had also made headlines for saying she would not shake hands with Potapova because of the latter’s stance on the Russia-Ukraine war.
Andreeva, who has arguably been the most talked-about player of the entire tournament, has had a run to the final that has been nothing short of explosive, both in terms of her world-class shot-making and her fiery on-court demeanor.
MORE: ‘He’s Used to It’: Alexander Zverev Reveals Strategy to Stop Jannik Sinner in Madrid Final
Andreeva battled unprecedented controversy throughout the tournament over the Electronic Line Calling (ELC) system. In a tournament where multiple players have suffered mental collapses over automated calls on the clay, the 19-year-old stood her ground. Following a heavily disputed automated call earlier in the week, she firmly demanded that chair umpires be allowed to manually override the machines, a bold stance that joins the likes of Alexander Zverev and Elena Rybakina, who had called this out.
Next up, the Italian Open awaits, where both Andreeva and Kostyuk are set to compete.
