MADRID (AP) — Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine beat Mirra Andreeva of Russia 7-5, 6-3 to win the Madrid Open title on Saturday.
The two players, whose countries have been at war since Russia’s invasion in 2022, did not shake hands at the net after the match or pose together at the awards ceremony.
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Mirra Andreeva reacts after the final match at the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine returns the ball to Mirra Andreeva during their women's singles final match at the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine celebrates after defeating Mirra Andreeva during their women's singles final match at the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine celebrates with the trophy after winning the final match at the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Mirra Andreeva returns the ball to Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine during their women's singles final match at the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine celebrates with the trophy after winning the final match at the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine celebrates after defeating Mirra Andreeva during their women's singles final match at the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine kisses the trophy after winning the final match at the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
The 23rd-ranked Kostyuk collapsed back onto the clay court and held her hands over her face after converting match point when Andreeva’s final shot flew long. After getting to her feet, she did an acrobatic backflip while the crowd cheered. Andreeva, meanwhile, slumped into her court-side seat and wept into a towel.
Kostyuk finished her victory speech with “glory to God and glory to Ukraine.”
The win was Kostyuk’s third WTA title, but her second in as many tournaments after she won at Rouen last weekend.
The eighth-ranked Andreeva, who turned 19 on Wednesday, congratulated Koystuk when she spoke to the audience after being awarded her runner-up trophy.
“I would like to congratulate Marta and her team for the win today and for her season,” Andreeva said, while Kostyuk clapped. “You have won two tournaments in a row, so congrats.”
Kostyuk beat the fifth-ranked Jessica Pegula and 13th-ranked Linda Noskova en route to the final, her first for a WTA 1000 tournament.
Against Andreeva, who was playing her third WTA 1000 final, Kostyuk converted all four of her break chances and saved four of six break chances for her opponent.
“It feels unbelievable to stand her right now,” Kostyuk said. “Up until last year I was 2-7 in Madrid and I never thought I would lift the title here. It was not my favorite tournament for sure, but thanks to the crowd for supporting me.”
On Sunday, top-ranked Jannik Sinner will face No. 3 Alexander Zverev in the men's final.
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
Mirra Andreeva reacts after the final match at the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine returns the ball to Mirra Andreeva during their women's singles final match at the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine celebrates after defeating Mirra Andreeva during their women's singles final match at the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine celebrates with the trophy after winning the final match at the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Mirra Andreeva returns the ball to Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine during their women's singles final match at the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine celebrates with the trophy after winning the final match at the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine celebrates after defeating Mirra Andreeva during their women's singles final match at the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine kisses the trophy after winning the final match at the Madrid Open tennis tournament in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
ROME (AP) — Alex Zanardi, the Italian auto racing champion-turned-Paralympic gold medalist whose career was marked by two life-altering accidents, has died. He was 59.
Zanardi’s family announced his death on Saturday, saying that he passed away on Friday night.
“Alex died peacefully, surrounded by the affection of those closest to him,” the family said in a statement without providing a cause of death.
In 2020, Zanardi was seriously injured in a handbike accident after crashing into an oncoming truck during a relay event in Tuscany. Zanardi suffered serious facial and cranial trauma in the crash and was put in a medically induced coma.
Nearly 20 years earlier, Zanardi lost both of his legs in an auto racing crash.
"Italy loses a great champion and an extraordinary man, capable of turning every challenge of life into a lesson in courage, strength, and dignity,” Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni said on X.
“Alex Zanardi knew how to bounce back every time, facing even the toughest challenges with determination, clarity, and a strength of spirit that was truly exceptional,” Meloni added. “He gave all of us much more than a victory: he gave hope, pride, and the strength to never give up. ... Thank you for everything, Alex.”
Zanardi won two championships in CART — 1997 and 1998 — in the United States before a brief return to Formula One. He returned to America and was racing in Germany in a CART event in 2001 when both of his legs were severed in a horrific accident the weekend after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. CART raced only because the series was already in Germany at the time of the attacks and could not return to the U.S.
After the 2001 crash, Zanardi was in a coma for three days and his heart stopped at least once.
NASCAR driver Max Papis, who knew Zanardi from childhood in Italy, recalled visiting his friend in the hospital, where Zanardi glanced at Papis’ new shoes.
“He said, 'Look at the positive side of this. For a long time I will not have to spend money buying those,’” Papis said.
During his recovery, Zanardi designed his own prosthetics — he joked that he made himself taller — and learned to walk again. He then turned his attention to hand cycling and developed into one of the most accomplished athletes in the world. He won four gold medals and two silvers at the 2012 and 2016 Paralympics, competed in the New York City Marathon and set an Ironman record.
When he won a Paralympic race in 2012 at Britain’s Brands Hatch circuit where he had competed as a young driver, Zanardi celebrated the full-circle moment by holding his bike aloft one-handed as he sat on the track.
“Probably a lot of people watching me doing (this) to some degree against all odds maybe they are going to say, 'Bloody hell, if Zanardi did this, I can try. I can try,’” he told The Associated Press at the time. “A good attempt always brings a result.”
His spirit, will, and determination gave the beloved Italian a larger-than-life persona. When he returned to the U.S. in 2019 to compete for BMW at the Rolex 24 of Daytona without his prosthetics, he was the most revered driver in a field that included F1 champion Fernando Alonso.
Drivers from around the world sought out Zanardi for photographs and were transfixed as he told elaborate tales of his adventures in the nearly two decades since many had seen him.
Zanardi used specially adapted cars with hand controls for gas and brake to take up racing again after the 2001 accident — and well enough to win races in various series.
Stefano Domenicali, the president and CEO of F1, said he was “deeply saddened by the passing of my dear friend,” calling Zanardi “truly an inspirational person, as a human and as an athlete.”
“He faced challenges that would have stopped anyone, yet he continued to look forward, always with a smile and a stubborn determination that inspired us all,” Domenicali added. “While his loss is profoundly felt, his legacy remains strong."
Zanardi's death came on the same day — May 1 — that fellow driver Ayrton Senna died in a crash during an F1 race in Imola in 1994.
The International Automobile Federation (FIA) said on X that Zanardi’s racing career and “journey from life-changing accident to Paralympics gold medalist made him one of sport’s most admired competitors and an enduring symbol of courage and determination.”
Noted for his infectious smile and fanciful storytelling, Zanardi was praised by Pope Francis after his 2020 crash as an example of strength amid adversity. Francis penned a handwritten letter of encouragement assuring Zanardi and his family of his prayers.
Zanardi’s family added that it “thanks everyone who is sharing their support right now and asks for respect during this time of mourning.”
The funeral will be held Tuesday in Padua.
A moment of silence was observed in Zanardi's honor before Saturday's F1 sprint race in Miami Gardens, Florida. Also, the Italian Olympic Committee called for a minute of silence to be observed at all sports events in Italy over the weekend.
Zanardi, who was born in Bologna, is survived by his wife, Daniela, and son, Niccolò.
AP Auto Racing Writer Jenna Fryer in Miami Gardens, Florida, and AP Sports Writer James Ellingworth in Düsseldorf, Germany, contributed to this report.
AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports
Drivers observe a minute of silence to honor Alex Zanardi before a sprint auto race at the Miami Formula One Grand Prix, Saturday, May 2, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
FILE Alessandro Zanardi of Italy celebrates winning the gold medal after he competed in the man's road cycle individual time trial H4 category at the 2012 Paralympics games, in London., Wednesday, Sept. 5, 2012. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant, File)
FILE - Italian driver Alex Zanardi kisses the winners trophy at the Australian Indy Car race in Surfers Paradise, Queensland, Sunday, October 18, 1998. (AP Photo/Steve Holland, File)
FILE - Italian driver Alex Zanardi's car breaks up after it crashed with Canadian driver Alex Tagliani during the CART car race at the Eurospeedway Lausitz in Klettwitz, eastern Germany, Saturday, Sept. 15, 2001. (AP Photo/Eckehard Schulz)
FILE - Alessandro Zanardi of Italy celebrates holding his gold medal following the medal ceremony for the man's road cycle individual time trial H4 category at the 2012 Paralympics games, Wednesday, Sept. 5, 2012, at Brands Hatch motor racing circuit near London. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant, File)
FILE - In this Saturday, Oct. 10, 2015 file photo, Alex Zanardi, of Italy, rides during the cycling portion of the Ironman World Championship Triathlon, in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)
FILE - Alex Zanardi, smiles after winning the silver medal in the men's road race H5, during the 2016 Paralympics Games, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sept. 15, 2016, (AP Photo/Mauro Pimentel, File)
