What should have been a celebratory 25th birthday for Iga Swiatek turned into disappointment at Roland Garros on Sunday. The third-seeded tennis star saw her hopes for a fifth French Open championship dashed when Ukrainian 15th seed Marta Kostyuk defeated her 7-5, 6-1 in fourth-round action.
The opening set featured competitive play with both players exchanging service breaks twice. Kostyuk managed to secure a crucial service hold in the 11th game before elevating her performance to close out the first set with a crosscourt backhand winner.
This marked the first time Kostyuk had won a set against the Polish star, having previously lost all three of their prior encounters. Sensing momentum for a major upset, the Ukrainian pressed forward and established a 3-1 advantage in the second set through determined play.
The Rouen and Madrid titlist maintained her composure throughout the remainder of the match, extending her perfect 15-0 record on clay courts this season. Kostyuk now advances to face either seventh-seeded Ukrainian Elina Svitolina or 11th-seeded Swiss player Belinda Bencic in the quarterfinals.
