Marta Kostyuk has raced out of the blocks in 2026. The No. 16 seed posted her second straight Top 10 win at the Brisbane International on Friday, edging out No. 6 seed Mirra Andreeva 7-6(7), 6-3 in 1 hour and 47 minutes to reach the semifinals.<\/p>\n
Brisbane:\u00a0Scores<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Draws<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Order of play<\/a><\/p>\n Positive pre-season training meant that Kostyuk came into Brisbane brimming with confidence in her game, body and mind, and she declared a “clear goal” in her head for the first time — to finish the year in the Top 10. All of this has been borne out this week: Brisbane marks her first semifinal, and the first time she has defeated multiple Top 10 players in one tournament, in 21 months — since her run to the 2024 Stuttgart final.<\/p>\n Kostyuk’s fast start has surprised even her. In an interview with wtatennis.com ahead of Brisbane, she cautioned against expecting to see immediate results from what has been a two-year process of work.<\/p>\n “It’s not like everyone is going to see my strength or my power in the first week of the year,” she said.<\/p>\n And yet that’s exactly how it’s played out. As in her third-round win over Amanda Anisimova, Kostyuk remained committed to front-foot, aggressive tennis throughout, and was able to retain her focus throughout the ebbs and flows of momentum. She crunched a pair of backhand winners on the last two points of an overtime first-set tiebreak and overturned a 2-0 deficit at the start of the second set by slamming home two drive volleys. And Kostyuk showed no hesitation at the finishing line, hammering a return at Andreeva’s feet to convert her first match point.<\/p>\n The Ukrainian excelled on defense, too. She captured the first break of the match, for 5-3 in the first set, with one of the hottest shots of 2026 so far — a phenomenal angled forehand pass at full stretch that had the Brisbane crowd on their feet. In total, Kostyuk fired 34 winners to Andreeva’s 10.<\/p>\n “I didn’t know that it would show so quick, already in the first week,” Kostyuk told press afterwards.<\/p>\n Unlike Anisimova — a familiar foe whom she had already defeated twice — Andreeva was a first-time opponent for Kostyuk, something that also tested her.<\/p>\n “Whenever you play very, very hard hitters like Aryna [Sabalenka], Elena [Rybakina], Amanda, whoever you play next the ball seems really, really slow,” Kostyuk said. “Mirra has very, very deep balls so it was more physical today for sure … She has a really good serve and she also changes pace a lot, and it was tough. I only watched her play, and when you don’t practise with someone ever, and never play against them, it’s very difficult to go into the match. Having tactics but not knowing what’s coming from the other side. I felt like I had to start really aggresive, really energetic and find a way.”<\/p>\n It’s back to another known quantity in the next round for Kostyuk — though this time, she doesn’t have the head-to-head advantage. No. 4 seed Jessica Pegula came from 3-0 down in the first set and 2-0 down in the second to defeat No. 10 seed Liudmila Samsonova 6-3, 7-6(3) — just her third straight-sets scoreline in her last 16 matches. Pegula leads her rivalry with Kostyuk 4-1, including wins in Miami and Beijing last year. Kostyuk’s only victory in the series came in the 2024 San Diego semifinals.<\/p>\n Pegula, one of the keenest pundits on the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz, said ahead of the showdown between Kostyuk and Andreeva that she had enjoyed watching both younger players rise through the ranks.<\/p>\n “I like to keep track of the young girls,” said the 31-year-old. “I remember when Mirra, before she became what she is right now, when she was coming up through the ranks, I thought she was really good — a really good athlete. Same thing with Marta, she broke out on to the tour so young and now she’s a top player as well. There’s a lot of young girls out there. I try not to think of the age difference too much, but it’s fun to watch them play.<\/p>\n “I’m sure they’re going to go on to have amazing careers, but I’m going to do my best to combat that for now.”<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Marta Kostyuk has raced out of the blocks in 2026. 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