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PARIS — Iga Świątek is out of the French Open, after Marta Kostyuk inflicted her earliest loss there since 2019.
Świątek, a four-time French Open champion, struggled with her serve and shot selection against Kostyuk, against whom she had a 3-0 career record before Sunday. She served for a tight opening set, but twice gave up a break advantage, before the pressure on her serve bled into her baseline game and the second set turned into a very familiar spiral.
Kostyuk took the match 7-5, 6-1, to record her 16th consecutive win on clay in 2026.
The No. 15 seed’s win meant that the relentless upsets at this year’s French Open continued, arriving in the women’s draw the past two days after wreaking havoc in the men’s for most of the tournament.
Kostyuk’s career record against Świątek was so lopsided that she’d never taken a set off the six-time Grand Slam champion. Kostyuk, 23, has found new life this clay-court season. She won the biggest title of her career at the Madrid Open, which is played at a level just below a Grand Slam, at the start of the month, after picking up a 250-level title on clay at the Rouen Open.
“I feel like I’ve given myself more space to just create something, to challenge my opponents,” Kostyuk said after the match Sunday. “I think the most important thing I’ve been doing this whole time is really just trying to enjoy. I woke up today in the morning thinking about what an unbelievable day I have to live today, to play on Chatrier.”
Kostyuk doesn’t take days like Sunday for granted. Shortly before her first-round win at Roland Garros over Oksana Selekhmeteva, who recently switched her nationality from Russia to Spain, a missile struck near Kostyuk’s parents’ home in Kyiv during a bombardment from Russia.
Kostyuk said she’d been crying all morning leading up to that match and wasn’t sure how she’d perform.
“There were obviously times in the match when I would go in back to thinking about it, because most of the morning I felt sick just for my thought that see if it was 100 meters closer, I probably wouldn’t have a mom and a sister today,” Kostyuk said in a news conference after.
Marta Kostyuk surged through the second set against the four-time French Open champion. (Clive Brunskill / Getty Images)
The second round now feels like a lifetime ago. Kostyuk is through to her second career Grand Slam quarterfinal, and first at the French Open, after standing strong against Świątek in cooler, overcast weather Sunday.
Kostyuk opened the first set swinging with abandon, finding easier power than Świątek. The Pole broke her twice, and twice, immediately gave the break back thanks to shaky serving. Poor shot selection and a crosscourt forehand she kept drilling wide and long didn’t help.
A first set full of missed opportunities seemed to undo Świątek in the second as Kostyuk held steady and patiently imposed her game. When Świątek’s serving went sideways and she pressed early in rallies, Kostyuk answered with clean groundstrokes and sharp passing shots. She had the mental fortitude to win volley-to-volley exchanges at net and served well enough to get the easy points she needed.
Her defense put pressure on Świątek, who before the clay-court swing said she was struggling to remain calm and clear headed in longer rallies. Until Sunday, it seemed like she’d made progress on that issue. Kostyuk exposed how much more work she has to do.
“I’m feeling shocked, you know. … Never taken a set off her, I still can’t believe it,” Kostyuk said after, thanking the crowd for their support.
Świątek went off court after the first set, as is her habit when she needs a reset. Kostyuk, meantime, stayed loose and danced on the red clay in front of her chair, taking a few practice serves and laughing with the crowd.
Świątek won the first game of the second set. Kostyuk breezed through the next six.