Kostyuk solves 4-time champ Swiatek; awaits Bencic, Svitolina in Paris quarters

PARIS -- World No. 15 Marta Kostyuk is through to her second career Grand Slam quarterfinal.  

Roland Garros: Scores | Order of play | Draws 

Defeating four-time Roland Garros champion Iga Swiatek 7-5, 6-1 for the first time in four tries, Kostyuk heads to the quarterfinals in Paris, also for the first time. She'll put her now 16-match unbeaten streak on clay on the line against either Belinda Bencic or Ukrainian compatriot Elina Svitolina. Tuesday will be her second Grand Slam quarterfinal after a run to the final eight at the 2024 Australian Open. 

What the win means?

• Kostyuk remains undefeated on clay this season. She's 15-0 in WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz events (with two titles), and adding her win in Billie Jean King Cup in April, she's 16-0. 
• Kostyuk has made her third clay court WTA level quarter-final of the season in addition to Rouen and Madrid. Prior, she only reached two in her career -- Istanbul 2021 and Stuttgart 2024.
• She's just the fifth player this century to win her first 16 matches on clay, joining the company of Venus Williams (2004), Serena Williams (2012, 2023), Justine Henin (2005) and Swiatek (2022).
• Kostyuk now has a 6-3 record against top 10 players this season, with only Svitolina and Elena Rybakina having more wins (seven each). 

Entering, it was one of the most intriguing matchups as the World No. 3 Swiatek, who's found her rhytym once again after hiring Francisco Roig, battled Kostyuk, who's had one of the best clay-court seasons on tour with titles in Rouen and Madrid. 

The encounter was standard to start as both held strong on serve through the first six games, and then it became what was expected as Swiatek notched the first breakthrough with one of the points of the match in the Round of 16 showdown. During the rally, the World No. 3 kept targeting Kostyuk's backhand. As Kostyuk would re-position toward the center of the baseline, Swiatek's cleverness to send the ball behind Kostyuk to her backhand, inevitably opened space on the forehand. Though Kostyuk hustled for to save the rally, Swiatek had too much space and scored the break at 4-3.

However, that would be the first of two break leads in the set Swiatek dropped in the subsequent service game. The second came when Swiatek led 5-4, up a break, and Kostyuk capitalized on a rifling backhand to Swiatek, who was at the net, and couldn't time the half-volley, which went into the net. Following a Kostyuk hold, as she led 6-5, Swiatek's uncharacteristic two double faults in the game created a set point for Kostyuk. She sent a spectacular backhand winner cross-court right as Swiatek came to the net, taking the set in unlikely fashion.

Though she only had five, the Swiatek double faults came at pivotal moments. Just how the first set played out, the second set followed the trend. Swiatek would break, and then Kostyuk managed to get it back with the help of a double fault that set up break point. Swiatek struggled on Monday, landing just 45% of her first serves and finishing with 39 unforced errors, three times more than her 13 winners.

Kostyuk's best stretch of the match ensued, holding in a four-deuce game, and then winning eight straight points, including a break of Swiatek at love. In that fourth game, Kostyuk had a pair of powerful forehand winners -- she finished with 25 winners Sunday -- and now led 4-1. That momentum only rode the rest of the match as Kostyuk won six consecutive games to oust Swiatek. 

What's next?

Svitolina: Should Svitolina advance to the quarterfinals, it would mark the second time that two Ukrainian players reached the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam (2024 Australian Open, Dayana Yastremska and Kostyuk) and the first time in Paris.

Kostyuk and Svitolina have split both their meetings, with the former winning in Toronto in 2024 and Svitolina taking the first meeting at the 2018 Australian Open.

Bencic: Should Bencic advance to the quartefinals, she'd be the first Swiss player in the French Open quarterfinals since Timea Bacsinszky in 2017. Compatriot Jil Teichmann could also join Bencic with a win over Mirra Andreeva.

Bencic is 3-0 against Kostyuk with wins in Miami in 2022, and Abu Dhabi and Dubai in 2023. This would be their first on clay court meeting.

More to come...