Kostyuk defeated Podrez in a historic all-Ukrainian final and claimed her second WTA title
20 April 01:16
Marta Kostyuk won her first WTA title in three seasons. In the historic final in Rouen, France, Kostyuk defeated fellow Ukrainian Veronika Podrez.
This was reported by "Komersant Ukrainian" with reference to Suspilne.
Kostiuk entered the Rouen clay-court tournament as the top seed—earning the number one seed for the first time in her career. Ukraine’s second-ranked player lived up to her status, reaching her fifth career final, including a dominant victory over Germany’s Tatjana Maria in the semifinals.
Marta’s opponent was another Ukrainian tennis player, 19-year-old Veronika Podrez, who sensationally made it to the final in her debut WTA tournament. Podrez advanced to the title match automatically: her semifinal opponent, Romanian Sorana Kirstea, withdrew from the competition due to a leg injury.
A historic event took place at the WTA 250 tournament in Rouen: for the first time ever, Ukrainian tennis players competed against each other for the title at this level.
How did the final of the Rouen tournament go?
- At the start of the first set, the players exchanged breaks twice, keeping the score tied at 3-3. The eighth game on Podrez’s serve proved decisive in the first set: Kostyuk converted her very first break point. Ultimately, the set ended 6-3 in favor of the top seed.
- In the second set, Marta jumped out to a two-game lead, but in a tightly contested battle, Veronika managed to break back. In the first eight games, Kostyuk committed five double faults.
- The ninth game proved decisive in the second set: Kostyuk first secured a break, then closed out the match on her own serve—6-4.
- The match lasted 1 hour and 21 minutes, during which Marta committed 23 unforced errors, while Podrez committed 33. Kostyuk also had the edge in winners: 34 to 20 for her fellow Ukrainian.
WTA 250. Rouen. Final
Marta Kostyuk (Ukraine, 1) — Veronika Podrez (Ukraine) — 2:0 (6:3, 6:4)
What does Marta Kostyuk’s victory mean?
- Marta claimed the second trophy of her career and her first in three seasons. The Ukrainian won her debut title back in March 2023 at the tournament in Ostana, defeating French player Varvara Gracheva in the final.
- Kostyuk snapped a streak of three losses in finals. Her last defeat came in January 2026—she lost in two sets to world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the final of the Brisbane tournament.
- For the second time in a row, a Ukrainian triumphed at the tournament in Rouen. Last year, Elina Svitolina won the title at the WTA 250 tournament in France.
- In the live WTA rankings, Kostyuk rose from 28th to 25th place, while Podrez climbed from 209th to 147th, making her debut in the top 150.
