Marta Kostyuk delivered a dominant performance at the Brisbane International on Saturday, defeating World No. 6 Jessica Pegula 6-0, 6-3 to secure her place in the championship match. The Ukrainian’s commanding victory marked her third consecutive triumph over a top-10 player at the tournament.
Following the match, Kostyuk addressed the Aryna Sabalenka controversy surrounding her misquoted interview from October 2025, which had sparked considerable debate in the tennis community.
Marta Kostyuk Discusses Misquoted Interview Following Brisbane Victory Over Jessica Pegula
Kostyuk beat the fourth seed Pegula with a flawless opening set, winning the first nine games in succession to take a 6-0, 3-0 lead before ultimately winning in straight sets. During the post-match press conference, the Ukrainian addressed a journalist’s question about her October interview, where her comments had been significantly misquoted.
When asked about the incident, Kostyuk explained how the media’s handling of her words affected her and how she managed the situation.
“I think it has never happened to me before that I was misquoted, especially this much, especially talking about a different topic,” said Kostyuk.
She elaborated on her frustration, stating that, “For me, it was a little bit sad, because I felt like if you start talking about things more deep, people just get scared or just get offended or just get stressed about it, like, in this case was about journalist that was quoting me.” When discussing her responsibility in the matter, Kostyuk maintained that she did not bear blame for the outlet’s editorial error.
MORE: Aryna Sabalenka, Marta Kostyuk’s Likely Handshake Rejection, ‘Awkward’ Speeches Steal Spotlight as Spicy Brisbane Final Confirmed
“[It] was not my responsibility that it happened, so it wasn’t easy for me for some time, because I was misquoted big time, but other than that, people hear, people read in whichever way they want, and at the end of the day, I have nothing to do with it, so I’m fine,” the Ukrainian added on how she handled the situation.
When asked whether she had addressed the matter directly with Sabalenka or Iga Świątek, Kostyuk indicated the published clarification had resolved the issue. “No, because they posted the second article in a few days when it became pretty big. I had an idea to do that at first, because that’s really not what I meant at all. But then when the second article came out, I was, like, okay, I have been pretty cleared out, I would say.”
Kostyuk also observed that the clarification received minimal readership. “I don’t think a lot of people have read that second article, because obviously it was not clickbait anymore, so no drama, not interesting. But, yeah, I knew what I said, so I was okay.”
Because of this mishap by the editor, the World No. 26 faced intense backlash on social media. Fans called her out for giving “embarrassing excuses” rather than focusing on and improving her own game.
The Heated Controversy From 2025 Between Kostyuk and Aryna Sabalenka
The controversy emerged during the Wuhan Open in October 2025 when Tennis365 published an interview with Kostyuk, where they reported she had answered a question about feeling intimidated by World No. 1 Sabalenka and No. 2 Świątek by referencing testosterone levels and physical differences.
The article generated significant viral attention on social media, with many interpreting Kostyuk’s remarks as direct accusations.
MORE: Aryna Sabalenka vs. Marta Kostyuk Final Preview: Head-to-Head, Prediction for Brisbane International 2026
However, Tennis365 subsequently issued a clarification admitting to a substantial editorial error. The outlet disclosed that they had inserted the intimidation question into Kostyuk’s response to a different topic, removing critical context where she emphasized that the top players do not engage in improper conduct and physical differences are simply natural biology.
On a later appearance on the Piers Morgan show, Sabalenka addressed these claims by calling them “excuses” while acknowledging her own credibility as a player. Now Kostyuk faces Sabalenka in Sunday’s Brisbane final. The Belarusian leads their head-to-head record 4-0, with all victories in straight sets.
Kostyuk competes for her second WTA Tour title, with her maiden title at the 2023 Austin Open, while Sabalenka seeks her 22nd career title.
