Marta Kostyuk stuns Iga Swiatek, KO’s last former French champESPN News ServicesMultiple AuthorsMay 31, 2026, 07:17 AM ET
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Marta Kostyuk reached the quarterfinals at the French Open for the first time on Sunday by taking out four-time champion Iga Swiatek 7-5, 6-1 and ruining her birthday.
Kostyuk, who is undefeated on clay this season, had lost their three previous matches and never taken a set against the former top-ranked player, who turned 25 on Sunday.
Swiatek’s loss guarantees a new French Open singles champion in the men’s and women’s draws; Novak Djokovic was the last former men’s champion standing before he was knocked out in the third round Thursday.
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“To beat such an unbelievable player who won four times here, I’d lost [three] times to her, never taken a set off her, I still cannot believe it,” Kostyuk stated. “I think the most important thing I’ve been doing is really just trying to enjoy. I woke up this morning and I just thought about what an unbelievable day I have to live today to play on Chatrier against Iga.”
Kostyuk defended extremely well Sunday, chasing Swiatek’s shots all over the court, and produced some stunning groundstroke winners while her rival was undone by her own mistakes.
An intense baseline battle unfolded from the outset, and Swiatek earned the first break when she overwhelmed Kostyuk after a long rally with a backhand winner. Kostyuk broke back immediately, though, only to drop her serve again and hand Swiatek a 5-4 lead.
The Polish player showed signs of nerves as she double-faulted, shanked a forehand wide and missed a volley at the net, allowing Kostyuk to level at 5-5. Swiatek hit two more double faults in the 12th game, and Kostyuk sealed the set with a backhand passing shot.
As Swiatek briefly left the court, Kostyuk kept herself warm by stretching and hopping beside her chair. She received some applause as she did a few dance moves to the music playing in the stadium.
When play resumed, Swiatek broke but yet another double fault coupled with more unforced errors brought her opponent back at 1-1. Kostyuk then won the last five games.
Kostyuk had reached the fourth round at Roland Garros in 2021, losing to Swiatek.
The 15th-ranked Ukrainian is in a strong run of form and extended her winning streak on clay to 16 matches. Ahead of Roland Garros, she won in Madrid — the biggest title of her career — after she claimed another clay-court title in Rouen, France.
After her first-round win, Marta Kostyuk fought back tears when she described how she found out on the morning of the match that a missile almost hit her parents’ home in Ukraine. She stated she was feeling exhausted after speaking out against the war for so long but would continue stating her opinion.
Swiatek has not won a title on clay since the 2024 French Open. This was her earliest exit at Roland Garros since her main draw debut in 2019, when she also lost in round of 16.
No. 18 Sorana Cirstea also advanced to the quarterfinals with a 6-3, 7-6 (4) win over Wang Xiyu. Cirstea, 36, is the third-oldest woman to reach the round of 16 at the French Open in the Open era (since 1968) and the oldest since Billie Jean King in 1980. She last reached the quarterfinals at 19 years old in 2009.
Following a first week marked by a suffocating heatwave, relief finally arrived in Paris on Sunday, with temperatures dropping to 70 degrees around midday.
The Associated Press and PA contributed to this report.
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