With her victory over Swiatek, Kostyuk extended her win streak on clay to 15 matches, the Ukrainian impressing in a high-quality first set that included some dazzling shots from both players.
Swiatek’s unforced errors made the difference – she gifted her serve back to her opponent after breaking to go 4-3 up, while a crucial double fault in the last game of the set allowed the Kostyuk to steal the opener from the Pole.
Swiatek bounced back with a break of serve in the first game of the second set but Kostyuk, ranked 15th in the world, responded brilliantly with an immediate break of her own, seizing the momentum by winning six-straight games to close things out in style – a win that confirms a new champion at Roland-Garros in 2026.
The nature of her loss will be of particular cause for concern for Swiatek, who appeared to implode in the second set as she suffered only her fourth ever defeat at the French Open and her earliest exit in Paris since her debut campaign in 2019.
It was a 25th birthday to forget for Swiatek, who blamed her defeat on being “super tense” during the match.
“I know I lost because I was tense, and my body couldn’t do the proper things. It’s not the first time, as well, so I just need to work on it,” the four-time French Open winner said.
Kostyuk, meanwhile, is through to only her second Grand Slam quarter-final and her first since the Australian Open in 2024.
She next faces fellow Ukrainian, and seventh seed, Elina Svitolina in the quarter-finals after she came back from a set down to beat Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic 4-6 6-4 6-0.
“I feel like I’ve given myself more space to just create something and to challenge my opponents,” Kostyuk said. “The most important thing I’ve been doing is just trying to enjoy it.
“I woke up only thinking about what an unbelievable day I have to live today, play on [Philippe-]Chatrier against Iga – there’s nothing else I could do today other than this.
“I’m not playing tennis to win, I’m playing tennis because I love it.”
Elsewhere, former French Open semi-finalist Mirra Andreeva brushed aside Switzerland’s Jil Teichmann 6-3 6-2, to secure a quarter-final meeting with Romanian veteran Sorana Cirstea, who beat China’s Wang Xinyu 6-3 7-6 (7-4) to reach the last eight at Roland-Garros for the first time in 17 years and only her third Grand Slam quarter-final.
