French Open: Iga Świątek upset in straight sets by Maria Kostyuk, latest high seed to lose at 2026 tournament

The stunning upsets at the 2026 French Open continued on Sunday with No. 3 seed Iga Świątek losing to No. 15 Maria Kostyuk in straight sets 7-5, 6-1.

Świątek, a four-time French Open champion, suffered her earliest defeat at Roland Garros since 2019, in what was then only her second major tournament. She lost in the round of 16 before returning to win her first Grand Slam title in Paris the following year.

Adding to the indignity, Świątek lost on her 25th birthday. Ranked No. 3 in the world coming into the French Open, she has yet to win a tournament this year. Up next, Świątek will attempt to defend her Wimbledon title in late June.

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Kostyuk, 23, has not lost on a clay surface this season, winning the Madrid Open and Rouen Open earlier this year. However, she was 0-3 versus Świątek in her career, not even winning a set, including a defeat during the 2021 French Open.

“I’m still in shock to beat such an unbelievable player who won four times here,” Kostyuk said after the match, via the BBC. “I woke up this morning and I just thought about what an unbelievable day I have to live today to play on Chatrier against Iga.”

Kostyuk was in control throughout the match, asserting herself with powerful serves and returns. Świątek didn’t help herself by losing her serves and consistently returning wide with her forehand during the first set.

Świątek’s serving difficulties continued in the second set as Kostyuk frequently won volleys with clean returns and defended the net particularly well to catch the four-time champion out of position. Kostyuk won the next six games after Świątek took the first.

Kostyuk’s confidence grew as it became more apparent that Swiatek wasn’t at her best. At one point during a set break, she showed how relaxed she was by dancing to the music being played over the PA system at the venue.

In the quarterfinals, Kostyuk will face No, 7 Elina Svitolina, who defeated No. 11 Belinda Bencic on Sunday 4-6, 6-4, 6-0.

Swiatek is the latest top 10 seed in the men’s and women’s draw to be eliminated from this year’s French Open before the quarterfinals.

On the women’s side, No. 5 Jessica Pegula was upset in the first round and No. 2 Elena Rybakina suffered a second-round defeat That was followed by No. 4 Coco Gauff, the reigning French Open champion, and No. 6 Amanda Anisimova losing in the third round.

In the men’s draw, No. 6 Danlil Medvedev and No. 9 Alexander Bublik were eliminated in the first round and No. 5 Ben Shelton took an upset loss in the second. The third round saw the stunning defeats of No. 1 Jannik Sinner, No. 3 Novak Djokovic and No. 8 Alex de Minaur in what’s been a very surprising 2026 tournament at Roland Garros.