Madrid Open: Kostyuk Extends Clay Streak to 10, Faces Austrian Potapova Next

Kostyuk crushes Noskova for 10th straight win

Marta Kostyuk beat Linda Noskova 7-6(1), 6-0 for her 10th straight win to reach the Madrid Open semis. She faces lucky loser Anastasia Potapova, now representing Austria, on Thursday.

After a 65-minute first set, Kostyuk blanked Noskova in 24 minutes to reach her second WTA 1000 semi. She faces Potapova amid questions over post-match handshake policy...

Marta Kostyuk notched her 10th straight win with a 7-6 (1), 6-0 victory over 13th seed Linda Noskova, booking a semifinal clash with lucky loser Anastasia Potapova on the heels of her Rouen title.

The 26th-seeded Ukrainian generated 23 break points and converted seven of them against the Czech, reaching her second WTA 1000 semifinal and first in Madrid.

The opening set was dead even, with Kostyuk coming out on top after a grinding 65-minute battle that went to a tiebreak.

The second set was a complete reversal. Kostyuk didn’t drop a game, closing it out in just 24 minutes.

The win pushed her streak to 10 matches and kept her perfect on clay in 2026.

  

Up next is Potapova, who booked the first WTA 1000 semifinal of her career with a gritty 6-1, 6-7 (4), 6-3 win over former world No. 1 Karolina Pliskova.

  

After recently changing her nationality from Russia to Austria, Potapova became the first player representing Austria to reach a WTA 1000 semifinal, and the first lucky loser to go this deep at an event of this tier.

Magic in Madrid! 🪄@marta_kostyuk defeats Noskova 7-6(1), 6-0 and is into the semifinals. #MMOPEN pic.twitter.com/K2aPtVr3nP

— wta (@WTA) April 29, 2026

Since the war in Ukraine began four years ago, Kostyuk and her fellow Ukrainians have not shaken hands with Russian or Belarusian players. When asked whether Potapova’s switch to Austria would alter her stance for Thursday’s match, she said:

“The only person that I shake hands with is Daria Kasatkina, because she didn't just change her passport, she also openly said that she doesn't support the war and all of that stuff.

“So this is why me and like other girls made the decision to shake hands with her, purely out of respect.

“In this case, I mean, there have been multiple players who have changed their nationality, but none of them ever voiced anything against war or anything to support Ukrainians. So for me that doesn't change.”