Swiatek beats Kostyuk, carries title defense into quarter-finals

Iga Swiatek rounded out the quarter-final lineup at Roland-Garros with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Marta Kostyuk on Monday night. Playing behind closed doors before the 9:00 pm French curfew ends on Wednesday, Swiatek advanced through a high-quality fourth-round contest after one hour and 32 minutes.

Despite the straight-set scoreline, Kostyuk did not make things easy for the defending champion. The 18-year-old Ukrainian counter-punched incredibly well and at times even managed to dictate play with big groundstrokes.

“Her defense was crazy, so I had to finish her a few times,” Swiatek commented. “You know, I’m not Rafa but my approach shots are pretty hard. But she was getting everything.”

Nonetheless, the 20-year-old Pole eventually managed to subdue Kostyuk once and for all. Swiatek gave back a break early in the second set, but she regained it with a crucial scalp of her opponent’s serve at 3-3. At 3-5, Kostyk fought off one match point with a forehand winner. Swiatek’s second chance came on her own serve at 5-4, 40-30, and she converted it with a brilliant backhand volley lob off the baseline.

“Even though I won last year, being in the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam isn’t an everyday thing,” the world No 9 commented. “So I’m pretty happy.”

Next up for Swiatek is Maria Sakkari, who defeated Sofia Kenin — Swiatek’s opponent in the 2020 French Open final.