In a 2026 French Open match featuring arguably two of the three players in the best form on the WTA tour, Elina Svitolina challenged Marta Kostyuk, and the match was everything fans hoped for. Three sets? Sure. In the end, though, it was ... who took the next step in winning her first Grand Slam event.
Kostyuk certainly started better. She jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first set before almost giving the advantage back midway through. She was broken at 4-2, and the set was back on serve. At least, for one game.
She was able to break Svitolina in the next game to get the lead again and then finished off the set 6-3. Kostyuk, who recently won the Madrid Open, was hitting bigger and taking more chances. She had 17 unforced errors to just 10 winners, but her approach was the right one, even while sometimes causing herself issues as well.
Marta Kostyuk overcomes Elina Svitolina at the 2026 French Open
Svitolina, who had made the quarterfinals of Roland Garros five times before but never pushed past the round, was playing just a tick under her form in 2026, arguably the best of her career, and evened the match in set two. She broke her fellow Ukrainian twice to ease past 6-2.
She didn't face a break point in the second set and was brutally efficient on Kostyuk's second serve, taking nine of the 11 points. Meanwhile, after a fast start, Kostyuk, who has moved into the top 15 on the WTA tour during the clay-court season, dipped in her level.
To start the third set, Marta Kostyuk got a break, but was immediately broken herself. The set and finish of the match seemed set up to be a tense ordeal for both players. That was, if either player could hold serve. In the third game, Kostyuk got another break to lead 2-1, but was broken in the fourth game.
After that, the set belonged to Kostyuk. She would lose only three points in the final four games, taking set three 6-2. For the sixth time, Elina Svitolina failed to reach the Roland Garros semifinals after making the quarters. Kostyuk, meanwhile, has won 17 straight matches on clay.
Marta Kostyuk will next face Mirra Andreeva in the semifinals. The Russian dispatched Sorana Cirstea 6-0, 6-3, and appears to be on the cusp of reaching the final of a Grand Slam for the first time. She reached the semifinals of the 2024 French Open and the quarterfinals last year. Her other best finish in a major in her young career is getting to the quarters at Wimbledon in 2025.
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