Marta Kostyuk won the Madrid Open women's final, beating Mirra Andreeva 6-3, 7-5 in an emotional clash. The victory highlighted the rare presence of female coaches in both players' corners. Rennae Stubbs, former coach of Serena Williams, called for more women in top-level tennis coaching.
In the 2026 Madrid Open final on May 2, Marta Kostyuk overcame Mirra Andreeva with a 6-3, 7-5 scoreline. Kostyuk celebrated with tears and a backflip, while Andreeva wept into her towel, capturing the match's raw emotion. The event stood out for featuring two players coached by women: Conchita Martínez with Andreeva and Sandra Zaniewska with Kostyuk, a rarity on the WTA Tour where men have long dominated top coaching roles. Andreeva and Kostyuk are the only players in the Live WTA Race top 10 with female coaches, holding eight career WTA titles combined between them. Rennae Stubbs highlighted this on X, posting: “Also want to highlight 2 female coaches in this final. Players pay attention! Women understand u & can make u better!” She argued that female coaches bring emotional intelligence, especially for emotional players like these two. In her runner-up speech, Andreeva thanked her team emotionally: “Thanks to my team for always being there for me... I know that sometimes it might not be easy to work with me, but I greatly appreciate all your support.” Kostyuk credited her team for support during tough times: “I think only we know everything we’ve been through and how many times I wanted to quit. You kept me afloat.” Both players have praised their coaches' impact; Andreeva noted at the 2025 Australian Open how Martínez made her “closer to being fearless,” while Kostyuk valued Zaniewska's communication after past issues with male coaches.
