MADRID: Marta Kostyuk was frustrated after world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka missed a first serve at a critical point in their Madrid Open quarterfinal, only for play to be halted due to rain. When the match resumed, Sabalenka was allowed to serve again, and this decision did not sit well with Kostyuk. She expressed her displeasure to the umpire over the situation.
Sabalenka defended her actions, saying it was “impossible to serve” due to the rain getting into her eyes. Despite the tension, both players returned to the court once the conditions allowed, and Sabalenka eventually won the match.
What happened in the match?
The match between Aryna Sabalenka and Marta Kostyuk was very close, with Sabalenka saving set points to win the first set in a tie-break. The second set also went to a tie-break, and it was at 5-4, with Sabalenka serving behind, when the controversy took place
Sabalenka missed her first serve but didn’t try her second. Instead, she walked up to umpire Jennifer Zhang and said she couldn’t continue because of the rain. Zhang said: “It’s not that bad yet to stop, we can still play a bit.”
When the match resumed, Sabalenka was allowed to serve again from her first serve, which obviously upset Kostyuk. She seemed to question umpire Zhang, which added to the tension, with Kostyuk clearly unhappy about the situation.
A frustrated Kostyuk said: “She was waiting for five minutes to serve, and then she tried to serve again—how is this possible? Why is it first serve? Why is it first serve again?”
She added: “She stopped by herself—nobody stopped her. It was like two minutes when she served first time and then she stopped. She could have served 10 times, and she voluntarily stopped… It wasn’t you who stopped her… first time she came to you, you told her she has to keep going and she stopped again by herself, again, by herself. No, but she said, ‘I do not serve.’ Nobody stopped her. How is it first serve?”
Once the conditions improved and the match resumed, Sabalenka managed to win the second set tie-break 7-6(7), securing a victory with a final scoreline of 7-6(4), 7-6(7).
After the match, there was no handshake between the players, which is no longer unusual in matches between Ukrainian players and those from Belarus and Russia since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Sabalenka admitted after the game: “That was a battle. Conditions were incredibly tough. It wasn’t about tennis. It was about how you handle your emotions. I’m super proud I was able to handle myself in such a difficult situation…Serving in the rain, I thought I could handle it, but the moment I was going up, like all of the water was going into my eyes, it was impossible to serve, I would just double fault it. I was like, I don’t want to do that, so I had to stop the game.”
“As I said, it was a battle. Both of the sets she was really close to getting them. I was just trying to stay in the game and trying to fight, trying to put as many balls as I can on that side and put all of the pressure on her and see if she can close it… I’m glad she couldn’t, and I’m really happy that I think I handled myself pretty well in that match.”
Regardless of the incident, Kostyuk shared in a social media post: “Heart full today, and it’s all because of you. Yesterday’s match tested everything—focus, resilience, patience. I gave it my all, and while the result wasn’t in my favor, your support reminded me why I love this sport. Thank you for standing with me—it truly means more than you know.”
Netizens commented on the post and said: “I guess it was the first of your matches that I was watching in utter excitement entirely regardless of the result. The level of game, resilience and emotional stability has obviously raised 👏 I mean I can’t wait to watch your further progress. I’m sure big results are soon to arrive 🌟🏆 Brava Marta! Keep moving”, “Keep fighting like that, Marta!!! You are so amazing! What a match yesterday! Sad ending…but, as always, you gave us so many incredible emotions!!!”, and “Marta, you were absolutely phenomenal! Thank you for giving it your all and fighting till last second! I am hoping I can see you playing live in Wimbledon this year!🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥”