Mirra Andreeva kicked off her 2026 season at the Brisbane International, but her run came to a halt on Friday night. Ukrainian No. 16 seed Marta Kostyuk proved too strong, knocking out the sixth-seeded Andreeva to book her place in the semifinals. Still, the match ended up going viral for reasons that had nothing to do with the scoreline.

At Pat Rafter Arena, one unexpected moment had fans and even the players laughing. The Tennis Letter shared a clip on X showing a perfectly timed train horn blaring just as Andreeva tossed the ball to serve, not once but twice.

Both horns sounded again in perfect sync while the ball was mid-air, creating an almost unbelievable coincidence. The second interruption sent the entire stadium into laughter and cheers, providing a lighthearted break in an otherwise intense match.

After the interruption, the match quickly snapped back into high gear. Marta Kostyuk stayed composed and closed out a 7-6(7), 6-3 victory over the 18-year-old, taking a 1-0 lead in their head-to-head rivalry.

Andreeva’s Brisbane run had started with a win over Olivia Gadecki, followed by a solid victory against Linda Noskova, but it ended at the hands of the Ukrainian.

On the other hand, Kostyuk’s path to the semifinals was just as impressive. She opened her campaign by defeating Yulia Putintseva, then delivered a statement win by upsetting two-time Grand Slam finalist Amanda Anisimova. That momentum carried her into the clash with Andreeva, where she once again rose to the occasion.

Mirra Andreeva, meanwhile, is coming off a breakout season. The young Russian captured her first career big title at the Dubai Open by beating Clara Tauson, then added another WTA 1000 trophy at Indian Wells with a stunning win over Aryna Sabalenka. Those victories pushed her to a career-high ranking of No. 5, though she ultimately fell short of qualifying for the WTA Finals.

With the Brisbane win, Kostyuk now recorded her second straight victory over a top-10 player and reached a singles semifinal for the first time in 21 months.

Later, during her on-court interview, she was asked why she chose such an aggressive approach against Andreeva, and that’s when the 23-year-old revealed the real reason behind her game plan.

Mirra Andreeva’s slow returns pushed Kostyuk into attack mode

Marta Kostyuk explained that facing Mirra Andreeva felt different after recently playing some of the game’s biggest hitters. She said that after matches against players like Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina, and Amanda Anisimova, the ball can feel noticeably slower. While acknowledging that Andreeva hits deep and changes pace well, Kostyuk described the match as more physical than explosive.

“The ball seems really, really slow and I mean, Mirra has a very, very deep balls and she changes pace so, it was really more physical today for sure,” Marta Kostyuk said.

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The win marked Kostyuk’s first run of back-to-back top-10 victories since the 2024 Stuttgart Open final. The 23-year-old has one career singles title, which came at the 2023 ATX Open, and has since reached finals in San Diego and Stuttgart. Although she fell short in those matches, her recent results suggest she is building momentum again.

Kostyuk also pointed out that the conditions in Brisbane made things tougher. She noted, “It wasn’t easy conditions, I would say because it’s humid here but I don’t know, she had good serve and she also change pace a lot,” which added to the challenge. She admitted that playing someone she had never practiced with made preparation tricky, as tactics only go so far when you “do not know what is coming from the other side.”

Because of that uncertainty, Mirra Andreeva’s opponent said she knew she had to take control early. “Just have to start really aggressive,” and bring high energy from the first point, she revealed.

Next, Kostyuk will face Jessica Pegula in the semifinals. Pegula staged a strong comeback to beat Liudmila Samsonova in the quarterfinals and leads their head-to-head 4-1.

So while Pegula is chasing the 10th singles title of her career after a successful 2025 season, Marta Kostyuk will look to draw confidence from her lone win over the American at the 2024 San Diego Open.