Marta Kostyuk Upsets Iga Świątek at French Open

PARIS — Iga Świątek faced an unexpected early exit from the French Open after Marta Kostyuk defeated her. This marked Świątek’s earliest departure from the tournament since 2019. Despite having a 3-0 career record against Kostyuk prior to this match, Świątek struggled with serving and shot choices.

During the opening set, Świątek served with a tight advantage, but lost her lead twice. This pressure affected her baseline performance, leading to a familiar struggle in the second set. Kostyuk claimed victory with a 7-5, 6-1 score, marking her 16th straight win on clay in 2026.

This win added to the series of upsets characterizing this year’s French Open, continuing disruptions from the men’s to the women’s draw. Before this match, Kostyuk never won a set against Świątek, a six-time Grand Slam champion.

At 23, Kostyuk revitalized her clay-court performance this season, triumphing at the Madrid Open and earlier capturing a 250-level title at the Rouen Open. After the match, Kostyuk shared, “I feel like I’ve given myself more space to just create something, to challenge my opponents… 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 opportunities like these lightly. Before her first-round match at Roland Garros against Oksana Selekhmeteva, reports of a missile landing near her family home in Kyiv unsettled her. The emotional impact was significant, as she recounted thinking, “if it was 100 meters closer, I probably wouldn’t have a mom and a sister today.”

Now in her second Grand Slam quarterfinal and first at the French Open, Kostyuk stood resilient against Świątek under cooler conditions on Sunday. Launching the match with aggressive play, she countered Świątek’s shaky service and poor shot decisions.

Throughout the contest, Kostyuk maintained her composure, confronting Świątek’s serving troubles with precision groundstrokes and effective net play. Her defense underlined the persistent pressure Świątek felt, particularly evident in extended rallies.

Kostyuk, after her win, expressed disbelief in her achievement, “I’m feeling shocked… Never taken a set off her, I still can’t believe it.” Świątek, in her characteristic manner, took some time off court after the first set for a reset, while Kostyuk kept animated, engaging the audience and preparing with casual serves.

Świątek initially won the second set’s first game, but Kostyuk swiftly dominated the next six, successfully advancing.