Iga Świątek crashes out of French Open in fourth round on her 25th birthday, losing 7-5, 6-1 to Ukraine's Marta Kostiuk

A birthday to forget

Iga Świątek's 25th birthday ended in bitter disappointment on Sunday as the world number three was eliminated from the French Open in the fourth round. The Pole, a four-time champion at Roland Garros, fell to Ukraine's Marta Kostiuk in straight sets, 7-5, 6-1, on Court Philippe-Chatrier. The match began shortly after 11:00 a.m. local time in cooler conditions — around 20 degrees Celsius — a stark change from the hot days earlier in the tournament.

A match of shifting momentum

The opening set was a tense, hour-long affair marked by a cascade of service breaks. Świątek earned the first break point of the match in a seven-minute opening game, but Kostiuk held firm. The Pole finally broke through at 3-3 with a stunning backhand winner, only to immediately surrender her own serve to love. Świątek broke again to serve for the set, but a rash of unforced errors — 25 in the first set alone against just six winners — allowed Kostiuk to break back. The Ukrainian then held serve for 6-5 and sealed the set on Świątek's serve, aided by two double faults from the Pole.

Świątek serwowała, by zamknąć seta. Nie potrafiła jednak zamknąć sprawy, do czego ponownie przyczyniły się własne błędy.

Kostiuk's clay-court dominance continues

The second set was one-way traffic. Kostiuk, who entered the match on a 15-match winning streak on clay, broke Świątek early and never looked back. The 23-year-old, coached by Poland's Sandra Zaniewska, raced to a 5-1 lead and served out the match with authority. The victory sends Kostiuk into her second career Grand Slam quarterfinal, matching her run at the 2024 Australian Open. Świątek, meanwhile, matched her worst-ever result at Roland Garros — a fourth-round exit she last experienced in her 2019 debut.

Świątek dawno nie prezentowała się na Roland Garros, którego jest przecież czterokrotną mistrzynią, tak fatalnie.

Ranking and financial fallout

Despite the early exit, Świątek will remain world number three behind Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina in the next WTA rankings. Her fourth-round prize money amounts to €265,000 (approximately 1.12 million złoty). Kostiuk is guaranteed at least €440,000 for reaching the quarterfinals, with the champion set to earn €2.25 million. With Świątek's departure, Maja Chwalińska is the only Polish player left in the women's singles draw.

A rivalry rewritten

Before Sunday, Świątek had dominated Kostiuk, winning all three of their previous meetings in straight sets. But Kostiuk's form on clay this season — including titles at WTA 250 Rouen and WTA 1000 Madrid — signaled a shift. The Ukrainian's aggressive, high-risk game paid off handsomely, while Świątek's serve faltered at critical moments. The loss ends Świątek's streak of six consecutive quarterfinal appearances in Paris.