Hours before her first match in Paris, images showed a Russian missile had slammed near Marta Kostyuk's family home in Kyiv. She played on, and on May 31 the 23-year-old Ukrainian 15th seed stunned former champion Iga Swiatek 7-5, 6-1 at Roland Garros. Kostyuk ended Swiatek's bid for a fifth French Open crown on the Pole's 25th birthday and said afterwards, "I'm still in shock."

She says she doesn't play to win, yet she just eliminated a four-time Roland Garros champion.

From underdog to clay contender

The victory was emphatic and consequential. Kostyuk, ranked world number 15, produced a 7-5, 6-1 win that not only ended Swiatek's bid for a fifth French Open title but also announced that her clay season is no longer a surprise. She arrived in Paris having already won the Open de Rouen and the Madrid Open, and Reuters reported she came into the match unbeaten on clay this season.

Her path through the tournament had already shown a player in form. On May 29 she beat Viktorija Golubic 6-4, 6-3 to reach the fourth round, a match in which she said she had "found again that joy of creating points, changing rhythm, running around a little bit." Those words captured both a tactical reset and a renewed lightness that has marked Kostyuk's approach this spring.

In Paris she mixed variety with aggression. The match against Swiatek featured moments of showmanship, including underarm serves, and Kostyuk has praised her serve as a "favourite shot." The win over Swiatek was the first time Kostyuk had taken a set off the Pole in their professional meetings, after three previous defeats, a fact that underlined how far her game has moved on clay.

Pressure on and off court

The result came amid unusual personal pressure. Hours before her first-round match in Paris, Kostyuk received images showing a Russian missile had slammed near her family home in Kyiv.

She told reporters on May 24 she had felt physically ill at the thought of how close the strike had come to her mother and sister, saying, "I felt sick just for the thought that if it was 100 metres closer, I probably wouldn't have a mum and a sister today."

Mastheads

She called the strike "one of the top three worst ones" she had endured since the 2022 invasion, but added that because her family had survived unharmed she never considered withdrawing from the tournament. After beating Oksana Selekhmeteva 6-2, 6-3 in that first-round match, Kostyuk said, "Everyone is alive. Everything is good," and she used the moment to underline that she still intends to use her platform to draw attention to the situation in Ukraine.

That public burden hasn't dulled her tennis. Instead, Kostyuk framed the upset of Swiatek as part of a broader personal evolution. Ahead of the match she acknowledged past losses to the Pole and said she had a different mental approach this time. She recalled a 2024 meeting in Cincinnati when she felt defeated before play began, and contrasted that with a new mindset in Paris where she tries not to obsess over results. "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," she told reporters.

On court that approach translated into fearless shotmaking and tactical variety. Kostyuk's movement and willingness to change rhythm forced Swiatek out of her preferred patterns. When the first set tightened, Kostyuk held her nerve to take it 7-5, then dominated the second set 6-1 as Swiatek's error count rose and the Pole struggled to find answers.

The win also pushed Kostyuk deeper into Roland Garros than she has gone since 2021. For a player whose breakthrough moments have sometimes been treated as single bright sparks, this clay season suggests a longer arc. Her combination of results in Rouen and Madrid, the unbeaten clay string Reuters flagged, and now this Paris triumph make her a genuine contender for a deep run at the tournament, not merely a one-off upset specialist.

Off-court, Kostyuk has shown she can carry difficult news without letting it derail performance. The images from Kyiv and the emotional aftermath might have been crushing for many athletes. For Kostyuk, they became a source of perspective as she played out matches in Paris and kept returning to her central purpose on court: the love of the game.

Her performance also raised tactical questions for opponents. The underarm serve and a serve she calls a favourite shot are small details opponents must prepare for, but they speak to a wider readiness to vary the match script. That capacity to surprise could be decisive as she faces higher-ranked, experienced rivals in the weeks ahead.

There is another concrete detail worth noting. The victory over Swiatek came on the Pole's 25th birthday, a personal and symbolic moment that will be remembered in both players' seasons. For Kostyuk it's among the most visible milestones of a year that already includes two clay titles and an unbeaten record on the surface, according to Reuters.

Her next match will depend on the outcome of the tie between seventh-seeded Elina Svitolina and 11th-seeded Belinda Bencic. That pairing will determine whether Kostyuk meets a former top player with experience on clay or a fellow in-form seed who will pose different tactical questions. Either way, the winner will face a Kostyuk who arrives with momentum, recent titles and a mindset that has shifted from fear to freedom.

For fans and bettors alike, the draw in Paris has loosened after a week of surprises. Kostyuk's result is part of that pattern, but it also stands on its own: a young player turning an intense season of clay success into a statement at one of the sport's biggest stages.

Related Articles

Kostyuk's immediate next step is clear: she will face the winner of Elina Svitolina v Belinda Bencic in the fourth round, a match that will decide whether her strong clay form and recent momentum can carry her into the latter stages at Roland Garros. Originally reported by Reuters.

This article was created with AI assistance.