Defending champion will fight for a place in the quarter-finals in a highly-anticipated showdown with Marta Kostyuk
Reigning champion Iga Swiatek will get her first taste of night-session action at Roland-Garros on Monday.
The 20-year-old's streak of match-wins stands at 10 now, all of them in straight sets, but the Pole will be ready for a stern test from a player she knows from her junior days, Marta Kostyuk.
The 18-year-old Ukrainian is through to the last 16 of a slam for the first time but having taken out former champion Garbine Muguruza in the first round, she’s brimming with confidence.
But she also has an unusual method of keeping herself calm, even as the prospect of a quarter-final place looms on the horizon.
“Honestly in my head I don't feel like I'm in fourth round at all,” said Kostyuk. “It's just another win for me. It's just another match for me on Monday. But it honestly doesn't feel like I'm in the fourth round. I don't even have the feeling.”
Swiatek has been on cruise control so far and barely remembers her meeting with Kostyuk when they were juniors, relying instead on her coach to do the scouting work required.
“As usual, I haven't seen her play [here],” Swiatek said. “I wasn't watching her matches. I was just focused on my match against Anett [Kontaveit]. But obviously my coach is going to do a great job. He's really good at tactics, so I'm feeling safe.”
ROLAND-GARROS
19 May - 8 June 2025
