Kostyuk Dominates Potapova and Reaches Madrid Quarterfinals to Face Sabalenka
Marta Kostyuk is the latest player to secure a spot in the quarterfinals of the WTA 1000 in Madrid. The 22-year-old Ukrainian, who dropped out of the top 30 after withdrawing from Stuttgart (where she was the defending finalist), will re-enter the rankings following her run in the Spanish capital.
Exempt from the first round as a seeded player, Kostyuk went on to defeat Emma Raducanu (6-4, 2-6, 6-2) and then Veronika Kudermetova (6-0, 4-6, 6-4) to reach the round of 16, where she faced Anastasia Potapova.
The Russian, ranked 39th in the world, had overcome Ashlyn Krueger (6-7, 6-4, 6-2), Zheng Qinwen (6-4, 6-4), and Sofia Kenin (3-6, 6-4, 7-6) after saving two match points.
In their fourth career meeting, Kostyuk quickly took control. Facing an opponent who struggled with returns, the Ukrainian dominated the match. Despite a mid-second-set fall that forced her to take a medical timeout, the 24th seed stayed focused until the end to secure the win (6-3, 6-2).
With this victory, Marta Kostyuk advances to her third WTA 1000 quarterfinal in her career, following Indian Wells last year (where she reached the semifinals) and Doha earlier this season.
To reach the semifinals, Kostyuk will now have to overcome world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka. The Ukrainian has never defeated the Belarusian in their two previous encounters and will aim for one of the biggest wins of her career this Wednesday evening in Madrid.
Madrid 
