Who is Tracy Austin picking to win between Marta Kostyuk and Mirra Andreeva?
Mirra Andreeva and Marta Kostyuk are preparing to face off in the Madrid Open final on Saturday.
Kostyuk, meanwhile, is yet to win at this level. The Ukrainian has lost just one set in her run so far, including an early win over Jessica Pegula. Andreeva reached the final with back-to-back wins against seeded opponents Leylah Fernandez and Hailey Baptiste.
Looking ahead to the championship match, two-time Grand Slam champion Tracy Austin shared her thoughts on who might come out on top.
Austin said in the latest episode of ‘Inside In’ when asked for a prediction between 17-year-old Andreeva and her opponent.
The 21-year-old has moved into the top 20 after her recent results, which include a title run in San Diego earlier this year.
Tracy Austin and Vicky Duval share their Madrid Open final thoughts
During her appearance on Tennis Channel, Austin said: “I am still going to go with Andreeva. You do feel like you are the favourite going in, but I think that Andreeva, at just 19 years old, has enough experience at this level.
“We know she won the Indian Wells title and [won] in the Middle East last year as well. She beat Sabalenka, Swiatek, Rybakina, and all of those.”
“I think she trusts herself, and she really seems to be in a good place. Conchita by her side really helps her when she gets a little too volatile, but I think for Kostyuk, she can just take big swings at it.
“She’s going to have to be very clear on the strategy and the tactics out there and execute them very well in order to take Andreeva out.”
“I agree with everything Tracy said. I’ll keep it a little interesting and go with Kostyuk to win the final because Kostyuk is able to neutralise what Andreeva does so well, which is put her opponents in uncomfortable positions.
“She uses the forehand slice, the heavier balls, but because Kostyuk is such a good mover, she puts herself in the right positions to be able to counter that.
“I think it’ll be important for her to return really well. Against Noskova, she won 82% behind the second serve on returns.
“If she’s able to really punish Andreeva on the second serve returns, I think it’ll be effective. If she doesn’t do that, Andreeva’s going to win.”
Mirra Andreeva and Marta Kostyuk’s only head-to-head matchup
So far, the two players have faced each other only once on the WTA circuit, with Kostyuk coming out on top.
That match took place earlier this year at the Brisbane International, where Kostyuk came through 7-6, 6-3 in the quarterfinals before going on to lose to Aryna Sabalenka in the final.
This time around, they’ll meet on clay for the first time, with a major title on the line. Andreeva will be hoping to turn that head-to-head record around, while Kostyuk will look to repeat her success from earlier in the year.
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