Aryna Sabalenka reveals real reason behind her controversial act that caused Marta Kostyuk's outburst during Madrid Open QF

World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka has revealed the reason behind stopping play during her quarterfinal match in the Madrid Open. She outfoxed Marta Kostyuk in straight sets 7-6(4), 7-6(7) to enter her fourth semifinal in Madrid.

Sabalenka entered the Caja Magica after a close runner-up finish in Stuttgart. She started her campaign by cruising past Elise Mertens and Peyton Stearns in the initial few rounds and then outsmarted Marta Kostyuk en route to the semifinal.

The Belarusian clarified why she stopped playing in the second set tiebreak in her post-match interview. After losing her first serve at 5-4, she opted against finishing the point due to the rainy conditions in Madrid.

"Oh my God...! Serving while the rain was falling was impossible. I tried with the first serve, but I realized that I had to stop because the water was getting into my eyes. It was impossible. I knew I was going to double fault, and I didn't want that to happen, so I decided that the game couldn't continue. I'm glad I did it," Aryna Sabalenka said.

Sabalenka and Kostyuk have faced each other three times on the main tour. The former dominates their head-to-head battle 3-0 and has defeated her twice on clay so far.

Kostyuk was livid with Sabalenka's decision to stop play during a crucial moment in the tie-break and questioned the umpire's decision to hand Sabalenka a first serve again when they resumed play. She said to the umpire during the heated moment:

"She was waiting for five minutes to serve! And then she started to serve again—how is this possible? Why is it first serve again?" Kostyuk said.

"But wait, she stopped by herself—nobody stopped her. It was like two minutes when she served first time and then she stopped. She could have served ten times, and she voluntarily stopped. You told her she has to keep going and she stopped by herself again, by herself. She said 'I do not serve.' Nobody stopped her," Kostyuk added.

Sabalenka is two wins away from claiming her third title in the Madrid Open this week. She secured a runner-up finish last year, where she lost to Iga Swiatek in the final.

Aryna Sabalenka will face Elina Svitolina in the semifinal of the 2025 Madrid Open

Aryna Sabalenka in the Madrid Open - Day Nine - Source: Getty

Aryna Sabalenka will face Elina Svitolina in the semifinal of the 2025 Madrid Open. She leads the head-to-head against the Ukrainian 4-1 and defeated her most recently in the 2024 Cincinnati Open.

While Sabalenka overpowered Kostyuk in the quarterfinal, Svitolina brushed aside Moyuka Uchijima of Japan, 6-2, 6-1. The 30-year-old is through to the last four in Madrid for the first time in her career.

Sabalenka has outlasted Svitolina during their last two meetings on clay (2024 Italian Open, 2023 French Open) and will be a slight favorite to win. The duo is scheduled to face each other in the night session on Thursday, 1 May 2025.