Four-time champion Swiatek out as French Open continues to deliver shocks

Iga Swiatek’s 25th birthday celebrations turned sour at the French Open as the former champion was ousted by Ukrainian 15th seed Marta Kostyuk in straight sets in the round of 16.

Bidding for a fifth Roland Garros title, Swiatek went out 7-5, 6-1 on Sunday, following a round of shock exits at this year’s tournament in the French capital.

Men’s world number one Jannik Sinner , 24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic and defending women’s champion Coco Gauff have all gone out in the last three days, while Swiatek’s exit was followed by a loss for China’s number one Wang Xinyu.

It leaves world number one Aryna Sabalenka the favourite to claim her first title in Paris, though Kostyuk will be one to watch as she builds the momentum that has helped her sparkle on clay this season.

“I feel like I’ve given myself more space to just create something, to challenge my opponents. I woke up in the morning and all I thought was ‘what an unbelievable day I have to live today … there’s nothing I could do other than this’.

“I try not to focus at all on winning and losing, because I’m not playing tennis to win. I’m playing tennis because I love it. I want to connect to people, I want to feel this energy … make people happy and unite people.”

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.