Twelve months ago, Brisbane barely registered for Marta Kostyuk. This year, it has become the stage for her strongest opening statement yet.
The 23-year-old Ukrainian has powered her way into the 2026 Brisbane International final, already defeating three top-10 opponents in the WTA 500 event, and doing so with a level of authority that sharply contrasts with where her game stood at the start of last season.
From Early Exits to Immediate Impact
Kostyuk opened 2025 with frustration. She lost first round in Brisbane to Yue Yuan, then followed it with another early exit in Adelaide against Ashlyn Krueger. Momentum never arrived.
This time, it landed immediately. Kostyuk has not relied on draws opening up or opponents misfiring. She has taken the court and taken control.
Two Top-10 Wins, No Asterisks
Her run gathered real weight in the round of 16. Against world No. 3 Amanda Anisimova, Kostyuk played with calm precision, winning 6–4, 6–3 while landing over two-thirds of her first serves and saving five of six break points. The scoreboard never felt in doubt.
The quarterfinal against Mirra Andreeva was tighter and heavier. Kostyuk edged a high-wire first-set tiebreak 9–7, then absorbed sustained pressure in the second. At 4-all, with Andreeva pushing hard, it was Kostyuk who broke first, closing out a 6–3 second set that reflected execution rather than dominance.
Before either of those came a recovery test against Yulia Putintseva. After losing the opening-set tiebreak, Kostyuk flipped the match completely, conceding just one game across the final two sets.
Brisbane International 2026 – Kostyuk’s Path
| Date | Round | Opponent (Rank) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 09 Jan 2026 | QF | Mirra Andreeva (9) | 7–6(7), 6–3 |
| 07 Jan 2026 | R16 | Amanda Anisimova (3) | 6–4, 6–3 |
| 06 Jan 2026 | R32 | Yulia Putintseva (74) | 6–7(5), 6–1, 6–0 |
Two top-10 wins in a single week. That matters. And after this, she added a third against Jessica Pegula. Astounding.
Why This Run Feels Different
Last season, wins like this were almost non-existent. Across the entirety of 2025, Kostyuk managed just one victory over a top-15 opponent. Everything else ended in losses that ranged from respectable to frustrating, but rarely flipped her trajectory.
Kostyuk vs Top-15 Players in 2025
| Date | Tournament | Round | Opponent Rank | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 Sep 2025 | Beijing | R16 | 7 | Lost to Pegula 6–3, 6–7(4), 6–1 |
| 25 Aug 2025 | US Open | R16 | 13 | Lost to Muchova 6–3, 6–7(0), 6–3 |
| 27 Jul 2025 | Montreal | QF | 12 | Lost to Rybakina 6–1, 2–1 RET |
| 7 Aug 2025 | Cincinnati | R32 | 3 | Lost to Swiatek W/O |
| 22 Jun 2025 | Bad Homburg | R32 | 10 | Lost to Navarro 6–2, 7–5 |
| 16 Jun 2025 | Berlin | R32 | 9 | Lost to Navarro 6–2, 6–3 |
| 6 May 2025 | Rome | R64 | 15 | Defeated Kasatkina 6–4, 6–2 |
| 18 Mar 2025 | Miami | R16 | 4 | Lost to Pegula 6–2, 6–3 |
| 5 Mar 2025 | Indian Wells | R16 | 9 | Lost to Zheng 6–3, 6–2 |
| 9 Feb 2025 | Doha | R32 | 3 | Defeated Gauff 6–2, 7–5 |
| 13 Jan 2025 | Australian Open | R32 | 12 | Lost to Badosa 6–4, 4–6, 6–3 |
| 6 May 2025 | Rome | R16 | 1 | Lost to Sabalenka 6–1, 7–6(8) |
| 22 Apr 2025 | Madrid | QF | 1 | Lost to Sabalenka 7–6(4), 7–6(7) |
Only one win across a full 2025 season against top 10. Brisbane 2026 has already doubled that.
Best Start of Her Career
This is not just about results. The patterns are clearer. Kostyuk is serving with more conviction, managing pressure moments with patience, and choosing her attacking windows with better timing.
She is no longer waiting for elite opponents to blink. In Brisbane, she has forced the issue herself.
In her matches against Anisimova and Mirra Andreeva, she tracked down balls deep in the corners, not merely keeping them in play but counterpunching with genuine top-level quality.
In doing so, she is now operating in the very space where Jessica Pegula, her next opponent, has made her biggest strides over the past months. That matchup promised to be a brutal battle. Last year, the Kyiv-born Ukrainian could not handle the American. This time, early in the season, she won in two and even bageled Jessica Pegula in the first set.
Whether the week ends with a trophy or not, this already stands as the best start of her career — and a sign that 2026 may finally bring the consistency her talent has long promised.
And yes, she is only 23. People tend to forget — true WTA fans do not.
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