'Never Winning Sportsmanship Award': Sabalenka Under Fire From Kostyuk After Madrid Incident
NewsThursday, 01 May 2025 at 12:55
Aryna Sabalenka and Marta Kostyuk played a very heated match at the 2025 Madrid Open, which included a big controversy in the second-set tie-break.
Almost nothing could separate Sabalenka and Kostyuk on Wednesday night in Madrid. The Belarusian player won the first set in the tie-break, saving a set point in the process, and the second set had to be decided in a tie-break as well.
Early on, Kostyuk played better in the tie-break, leading 2-0 and then 5-4. It was at 5-4 when her opponent was supposed to serve next. Sabalenka missed her first serve, but instead of continuing with her second serve, the Belarusian approached umpire Jennifer Zhang, saying that she couldn't continue because of the rain that started falling moments prior.
Zhang initially told Sabalenka that she had to continue, saying that the rain wasn't so bad. The WTA World No. 1 player returned to the baseline, tossed the ball up, but decided not to hit it, again approaching the umpire's chair.
Sabalenka explained that it was impossible for her to serve in those conditions, and when she tried convincing the umpire the second time, Zhang agreed, stopping the play.
Because the play was stopped, Sabalenka would get her first serve again upon resumption, something Kostyuk was less than happy about, claiming her opponent voluntarily stopped, which is why she shouldn't get the first serve.
"She was waiting for five minutes to serve! Yeah, and then she tried to serve again — how is this possible? Why is it first serve? Why is it first serve again? But wait, 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 ten times, and she voluntarily stopped."
"It wasn’t you [who] stopped her. No, wait. First time she came [to the chair umpire], 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 is first serve?"
The play was then stopped for a moment, and the tournament organizers closed the roof above the court. During this moment, Zhang told both players they could talk to their teams during the break. When Kostyuk talked to her team, the Ukrainian said that her opponent surely wouldn't win the sportsmanship award.
"She [Sabalenka] is never winning a sportsman’s award, that’s for sure."
Sabalenka ultimately won the second tie-break and the match 7-6(4), 7-6(7), even though Kostyuk had two set points at 6-4. Following the match, the Belarusian also mentioned the controversial moment.
"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."
"Oh my God…! Serving while the rain was falling was impossible. I tried with the first serve, but I realised that I had to stop because the water was getting into my eyes. It was impossible. I knew I was going to double fault, and I didn’t want that to happen, so I decided that the game couldn’t continue. I’m glad I did it."
One day after her loss, Kostyuk didn't want to look back on the incident anymore. She saw the positive side of fighting hard on the court when she addressed her fans on social media.
"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."
Kostyuk will now move to Rome to compete at the Italian Open, while Sabalenka will challenge another Ukrainian, Elina Svitolina, in the semi-finals of the Madrid Open.
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