Marta Kostyuk didn’t click the mandatory picture with Mirra Andreeva before Saturday’s Madrid Open final, and she didn’t shake hands with her opponent after winning the match. With the act, Kostyuk continued her practice of refusing greetings with players hailing from Russia and Belarus amid the ongoing conflict with Ukraine.
The Ukrainian player maintained her position even in her semifinal against Anastasia Potapova, who was born in Russia but recently changed her representation to Austria.
Marta Kostyuk Beats Mirra Andreeva at the Madrid Open, Denies Handshake
Kostyuk extended her lead against Mirra Andreeva to 2-0 after beating her 6-3, 7-5 in the final of the 2026 Madrid Open on Saturday, May 2. Previously she beat the Russian star in the quarterfinal of the Brisbane International, where she finished as the runner-up.
With her win in the Spanish capital, Kostyuk won her career’s biggest title yet. After the match, she declined a handshake with Andreeva, as has been the tradition with Ukrainian athletes against Russian players. Andreeva, who was in tears, respected her opponent’s wishes and walked straight to the chair umpire after the final point was played.
MARTA KOSTYUK CHAMPION OF MADRID!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/pZKsn1uY5e
— Owen (@kostekcanu) May 2, 2026
Before her semifinal against Potapova, Kostyuk had explained that Daria Kasatkina is presently the only Russian-born tennis player she doesn’t mind greeting. Kasatkina changed her representation to Australia in 2025 and has frequently spoken out against the war. The 23-year-old claimed that Potapova hadn’t publicly condemned the war.
“The only person I shake hands with is Daria Kasatkina because she not only changed her passport, but she also openly stated that she doesn’t support the war and all that. This is why I and some other girls decided to shake her hand, purely out of respect,” Kostyuk said.
While declining pre- and post-match formalities against Russian and Belarusian players has become a norm, Kostyuk once withdrew altogether from an exhibition match against Andreeva.
In 2023, Andreeva and Kostyuk participated in the Negometal Open de Bourg-de-Peage exhibition event in France. After the former’s victory against Varvara Gracheva, she was scheduled to clash against Kostyuk in the final. According to reports, the Ukrainian player had agreed to compete with a no-handshake condition. But when the news of her duel spread in her home country, she faced intense criticism, ultimately resulting in her withdrawal.
Given her last-minute no-show, the organizers were forced to replace Kostyuk with a male tennis player, Yanis Ghazouani Durand, ranked No. 1145 on the ATP tour at the time. Then 16-year-old Andreeva lost the match with a 7-5, 6-2 score.
ALSO READ: Why Kostyuk Refused Picture, Handshake With Anastasia Potapova at Madrid Open
