Four-time French Open champion Iga Swiatek was knocked out in the fourth round on Sunday, while Romania's Sorana Cirstea returned to the Roland Garros quarterfinals for the first time in 17 years, reported Xinhua.
The biggest upset of the day came on the women's side, where 15th-seeded Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk defeated third-seeded Swiatek 7-5, 6-1 in one hour and 39 minutes.
Swiatek, who entered the tournament among the favorites, struggled to regain control after a tightly contested opening set. "I lost control of the match, and there was no way for me to come back, because I felt worse and worse," she said.
The Pole credited Kostyuk for capitalizing on her opportunities while acknowledging her own struggles with tension.
"I lost today because Marta used the opportunity, and I was super tense," Swiatek noted. "I need to believe that I can work through this and not be thrown off so quickly."
Kostyuk advanced to a quarterfinal clash with fellow Ukrainian Elina Svitolina, who rallied past Switzerland's Belinda Bencic and won the deciding set 6-0. The winner will become the first Ukrainian woman in the Open Era to reach the French Open semifinals.
Elsewhere in the women's draw, Cirstea defeated China's Wang Xiyu 6-3, 7-6 (4) to reach the quarterfinals at Roland Garros for the first time since 2009.
The result marks the third Grand Slam quarterfinal appearance of Cirstea's career and comes during what she has described as her final season on tour. "I came into my last year, wanted to go out on the front door of the sport, wanting to really do well, but I didn't really think it was going to go that well," she said.
The Romanian will next face Russia's Mirra Andreeva, who advanced with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Switzerland's Jil Teichmann, reaching her third consecutive French Open quarterfinal.
Despite the defeat, the tournament marked a milestone for Wang, who reached the last 16 of a Grand Slam for the first time.
The 2018 U.S. Open girls' champion has battled shoulder and elbow injuries in recent years and only returned to competition in March. After rebuilding her ranking through lower-tier events, Wang came through qualifying in Paris and won six consecutive matches before her run ended on Sunday.
"I gave everything I had today," Wang said. "The result is disappointing, but it's understandable. Cirstea is a very strong opponent. Her shots are powerful and consistent, and she moves extremely well on clay."
Wang added that improving the consistency and rhythm of her serve would be a focus in future training.
On the men's side, second-seeded Alexander Zverev advanced comfortably with a straight-sets victory over Dutchman Jesper de Jong. Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca defeated 15th-seeded Casper Ruud 7-5, 7-6 (6), 5-7, 6-2 in a match lasting nearly four hours, to reach his first Grand Slam quarterfinal.
- Marta Kostyuk
- French Open
Source: www.dailyfinland.fi
