Ukrainian tennis player Marta Kostyuk delivered a stunning upset victory over world number one Iga Swiatek with a 7-5, 6-1 win at Roland Garros on Sunday, advancing to her first quarter-final at the French Open.
The 23-year-old’s triumph marked her 15th consecutive victory on clay courts, a remarkable turnaround for someone who hadn’t made it past the second round in Paris over the past four years. Her clay court success this season began with a title at the Open de Rouen, followed by an unexpected championship at the Madrid Open where she entered as the 26th seed.
“For sure it feels great, very happy with the streak. Very happy with the quarter-final. Going to celebrate a little bit today and keep my head in the tournament,” she told reporters.
“A lot of things clicked this year on clay too, and in Madrid, which was also not my best tournament. It’s a good feeling.
“I think I just give myself more space. I’m enjoying more, just creating points, dealing with challenges, learning how to navigate the difficult situations in the matches.”
Even after her impressive victory, Kostyuk maintains she remains an underdog despite her tactical brilliance in dismantling Swiatek’s typically solid defensive game and neutralizing the four-time champion’s serve.
“It was a great match-up, but at the end of the day, I still think I was the underdog in this match,” she said.
“Things change in tennis, but I’m much more consistent. I’m the most consistent I have ever been in my career and a long way to go to be a top-10, top-5 player.
“Technically, I’m still the underdog. We will see, maybe a lot of things will change after this tournament or not. I’m not going to be considered an underdog anymore, but I don’t mind being in both positions.”
Her outstanding performance came amid deeply troubling circumstances at home, as a Russian missile struck near her family’s residence in Kyiv just hours before her opening match. The incident left her questioning her coach Sandra Zaniewska about whether competing in Paris made any sense.
“It’s a different perspective because, for example, before my first-round match, I told Sandra, ‘I don’t even know, what am I doing here? Like, this is not important at all’,” she said.
“So it was difficult for me. I didn’t know how the match is going to go because I didn’t know if I’d just be able to keep the focus on important things, which was winning the match and playing tennis.
“Sometimes it gives you different perspective, whether it’s that it’s not important at all that I’m here, or it’s great that I’m here. I have this opportunity and I’m really thankful for that.”
