New Delhi: A new women’s champion will be crowned at Roland Garros this year after four-time winner Iga Swiatek suffered a stunning fourth-round exit on her 25th birthday, falling to in-form Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk on Sunday.15th-seeded Kostyuk produced one of the biggest upsets of the tournament, defeating Svitek 7-5, 6-1 to reach his first French Open quarter-final and extend his impressive clay-court winning streak to 16 matches.With Swiatek’s defeat following Coco Gauff’s first exit, the women’s draw is now guaranteed a first-ever champion in Paris, opening the door for a new name to win one of tennis’ most prestigious trophies.Kostyuk’s clay court continues to grow.Kostyuk arrived in Paris as the hottest player on clay after winning titles in Rouen and Madrid, and he carried that momentum to Court Philippe-Chatrier.Despite losing all three previous meetings against Svetek without winning a single set, the Ukrainian showed little sign of a threat. He matched the former world No. 1 from the baseline, defended brilliantly and repeatedly punished short balls with fearless groundstrokes.“I’m still in shock. To beat such an incredible player, who’s won here four times,” Kostyuk said after the biggest Grand Slam win of his career.The Ukrainian has relied on consistency throughout the clay season, and Sunday was further evidence that she is emerging as a leading title contender.A birthday disappointment for the Queen of ParisSwitek appeared on course to take control as she led 5-4 in the opening set after exchanging early breaks. However, nerves began to creep into his game at critical moments.A series of double faults and unforced errors allowed Kostyuk to retake the contest. The Ukrainian leveled at 5-5 before taking the set with a brilliant backhand passing shot.The second set quickly turned into a nightmare for the Polish star. Although Swiatek briefly broke serve, more double faults and mounting errors handed the momentum back to Kostewek, who ran off the last five games to seal a memorable victory.The defeat continued a surprising title drought for Svetek on clay, with the pool yet to win a tournament on the surface. French Open Victory in 2024Experienced Cirstea made history.Elsewhere, Romanian veteran Sorana Cirestia advanced to her second Roland Garros quarter-final with a 6-3, 7-6(4) win over China’s Wang Xiu.The feat came 17 years after her first quarter-final appearance in Paris, the longest gap between a woman’s quarter-final appearance at a single Grand Slam in the Open Era.As Roland-Garros heads into its final week, the established champions are gone. The race is now open, and a new queen of Paris is guaranteed to emerge for the first time in years.
