Emma Raducanu’s promising momentum from Miami came to a halt under the Spanish sun, as Marta Kostyuk edged the Briton in a fiercely contested three-set battle at the Madrid Open, 6-4, 2-6, 6-2. In a clash that ebbed and flowed with breathtaking intensity over two hours and 13 minutes, Kostyuk’s greater clay-court experience and tactical discipline ultimately subdued Raducanu’s spirited challenge.
Match Narrative: A Test of Maturity and Surface Mastery
Coming off her first deep run at a WTA 1000 event in Miami, Raducanu entered Madrid with confidence, but quickly encountered the harsher realities of clay. After recovering from a 1-3 deficit to level the first set, Raducanu’s momentum unraveled with a pair of untimely double faults, gifting Kostyuk the opener and shifting the dynamic of the match.
Despite a medical timeout to address a right wrist concern, Raducanu surged back in the second set with the kind of aggressive court coverage and first-strike tennis that had powered her Miami success. Winning four straight games, she forced a decider and briefly reignited hopes of a comeback.
Yet the final set laid bare the work still required in her clay-court education. Kostyuk’s relentless depth and ability to expose Raducanu’s vulnerability on second serve—where she won just 41% of points—proved decisive. Sprinting to a 4-0 lead, the Ukrainian maintained her composure and closed out the match on her third opportunity, leaving Raducanu with lessons learned and further adaptation required ahead of the European clay season.
Key Stats
- Double Faults: Raducanu (4) vs. Kostyuk (9) – Kostyuk’s aggression outweighed her errors.
- Break Points: Kostyuk converted 6/16 vs. Raducanu’s 5/7.
- Second-Serve Struggles: Raducanu won just 41% of second-serve points, a critical liability on clay.
- The 21-year-old Ukrainian, a Madrid semifinalist in 2023, leveraged her heavy topspin and relentless baseline consistency to disrupt Raducanu’s rhythm. Despite nine double faults, Kostyuk’s 62% first-serve points won and clutch net play proved decisive. “I knew I had to stay patient and trust my game,” Kostyuk said post-match. “Clay rewards perseverance.”
Highlights by Numbers
| Player | Key Stat |
|---|---|
| Marta Kostyuk | 15/20 net points won (75% efficiency) |
| Emma Raducanu | 4/13 break points saved (63%) |
What’s Next for Raducanu?
For Raducanu, the focus shifts to Rome, where she’ll seek to refine her clay-court tactics ahead of Roland Garros.