Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk celebrates after winning against Poland’s Iga Swiatek. | Photo Credit: AFP

Iga Swiatek’s 25th birthday ​celebrations turned sour at the French ‌Open on Sunday as the ​former champion lost 7-5, 6-1 to Ukrainian 15th seed Marta Kostyuk, her bid for a fifth ‌title ending just when she had looked to be ‌rediscovering her rhythm.

There was little ‌to ⁠separate the duo in ⁠the early exchanges as they twice traded breaks, before Kostyuk came up with ​a tight hold ‌in the 11th game and raised her level at the end to claim the opening ‌set with a backhand crosscourt ​winner.

It was the first time that Kostyuk had taken ⁠a set off the third-seeded Pole after three straight defeats in ‌their previous meetings, and she sensed a big upset when she went ahead 3-1 in the next set after a battling effort.

The Rouen and Madrid ‌champion held her nerve from there to ​take her record on clay this season to 15-0, ⁠and book a meeting with seventh-seeded ⁠Ukrainian Elina Svitolina or 11th-seeded Swiss Belinda Bencic in ‌the next round of Roland Garros.

Published on May 31, 2026