Happy birthday to Iga Swiatek! The four-time champion falls apart as Roland-Garros guarantees a queen for the first time

Pole Iga Swiatek leaves the court after losing to Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk. (AP photo) NEW DELHI: A new women’s champion will be crowned at Roland-Garros this year after four-time champion Iga Swiatek suffered a stunning fourth-round exit on her 25th birthday to lose to in-form Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk on Sunday.Fifteenth-seeded Kostyuk produced one of the tournament’s biggest upsets as she cruised past Swiatek 7-5, 6-1 to reach her first French Open quarter-final and extend her remarkable clay-court winning streak to 16 matches.With Swiatek’s defeat following Coco Gauff’s earlier exit, the women’s draw is now guaranteed to produce a first female champion in Paris, opening the door for a new name to lift one of tennis’ most prestigious trophies.Kostjuk’s wave on clay continuesKostyuk arrived in Paris as one of the hottest players on clay after winning titles in Rouen and Madrid, and she carried that momentum onto Court Philippe-Chatrier.Although the Ukrainian had lost all three previous meetings against Swiatek without winning a set, she showed no signs of intimidation. She matched the former world number one from the baseline, defended brilliantly and repeatedly punished short balls with fearless shots from the field.“I’m still in shock. To beat such an incredible player who won here four times,” said Kosťuková after the biggest Grand Slam victory of her career.The Ukrainian’s confidence has been built on consistency throughout the clay season and Sunday was further proof that she is emerging as one of the leading contenders for the title.A birthday disappointment for the Queen of ParisSwiatek appeared to be on the court to take control as she went 5-4 up in the opening set after trading early breaks. However, nerves began to creep into her game at crucial moments.A series of double faults and unforced errors allowed Kostyuk back into the match. The Ukrainian leveled at 5-5 before taking the set with a superb backhand serve.The second set quickly turned into a nightmare for the Polish star. Although Swiatek briefly broke serve, more double faults and mounting errors returned the momentum to Kostyuk, who raced through the last five games to seal a memorable victory.The defeat continues Swiatek’s surprising clay title drought, with the Pole yet to win an event on the surface since her triumph at the 2024 French Open.Veteran Cirstea makes historyRomanian veteran Sorana Cirstea reached her second quarter-final at Roland-Garros, defeating China’s Wang Xiyu 6-3, 7-6(4).The feat came 17 years after her first quarter-final appearance in Paris, marking the longest gap between quarter-final appearances at a single Grand Slam of any woman in the Open Era.As Roland-Garros heads into its final week, the established champions are gone. The race is now wide open and a new Queen of Paris is guaranteed to emerge for the first time in years.