WATCH: Marta Kostyuk angrily confronts umpire after Aryna Sabalenka stops play in controversial scenes during rain-hit Madrid Open QF

Aryna Sabalenka and Marta Kostyuk's thrilling quarterfinal clash at the 2025 Madrid Open saw a moment of controversy when the Ukrainian angrily confronted the chair umpire. Kostyuk's frustrations boiled over as the weather took a turn for the worse and caused a brief stoppage in play.

Sabalenka clinched a place in the semifinals of the WTA 1000 event with a hard-fought 7-6(4), 7-6(7) victory after a closely contested battle. The tense match also produced its share of drama when the World No. 1 halted play while leading 5-4 in the second-set tiebreak.

After missing her first serve, Sabalenka approached the chair umpire and asserted that play should stop due to the rain, but the umpire ruled that the downpour wasn't severe enough and told her to continue.

Although Aryna Sabalenka walked back and began her service motion, she quickly stopped again and complained that the rain was falling in her eyes and impacting her vision. Since the Belarusian refused to continue, the umpire had no choice but to stop play. However, Marta Kostyuk was furious over the decision to allow the World No. 1 to be on first serve when the match resumed.

"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 told the umpire.

While the chair umpire tried to calm her down, Kostyuk protested that Sabalenka had every opportunity to serve and argued that the Belarusian had intentionally defied the umpire's decision to continue play.

"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," she added.

Despite Marta Kostyuk's complaints, Aryna Sabalenka was back on first serve when play resumed after the closing of the roof. Although the Ukrainian won the point on Sabalenka's serve and created opportunities to force a decider, the World No. 1 saved three set points to come away with the win.

Following her defeat, Marta Kostyuk left the court without shaking hands with Aryna Sabalenka, which is in keeping with her stance against exchanging pleasantries with opponents hailing from Russia and Belarus because of the invasion of her homeland, Ukraine.

"It was about the way you handle your emotions, I did really well" - Aryna Sabalenka opens up after surviving 'incredibly tough' battle against Marta Kostyuk

Aryna Sabalenka - Source: Getty

In the on-court interview, Aryna Sabalenka expressed her delight at surviving the "incredibly tough" battle against Marta Kostyuk in the quarterfinals of the 2025 Madrid Open. The Belarusian also took great pride in managing keep her emotions under control amid the challenging environment.

"That was a battle and conditions were incredibly tough. It wasn’t about tennis, it was about the way you handle your emotions. I think I did really well and I’m super proud I was able to handle myself in such a difficult situation. Happy to get through," Sabalenka said.

Next, Sabalenka will lock horns with Elina Svitolina in the semifinals of the WTA 1000 event. Svitolina claimed a 6-2, 6-1 win over Moyuka Uchijima to set up the exciting meeting with the World No. 1.

Aryna Sabalenka will head into the highly anticipated clash with a clear advantage, since she enjoys a 4-1 lead in her head-to-head record against Elina Svitolina.