Elina Svitolina Makes Feelings Known on Facing Marta Kostyuk in All-Ukrainian Roland Garros Quarterfinal

Both Elina Svitolina and Marta Kostyuk are enjoying good form this season. They both won a WTA 1000 on clay, with Svitolina clinching the Italian Open and Kostyuk winning the Madrid Open, by defeating Coco Gauff and Mirra Andreeva, respectively.

But now, only one of them will reach the French Open semifinal for the first time in their careers. Svitolina came from a set down to defeat fellow seeded mom Belinda Bencic, while Kostyuk upset four-time Roland Garros champion Iga Swiatek in straight sets. At the press conference, when Svitolina was asked about the all-Ukrainian quarterfinal, she said:

It’s exciting. She’s playing really well. I think it will be something very special for Ukraine as well, having a Ukrainian in the semifinals. Honestly, it seems very special to me. I don’t think it has ever happened before, so it’s incredible.

Svitolina, a four-time Grand Slam semifinalist, has made the quarterfinals of the clay-court Major five times, including last year. But Kostyuk is a one-time quarterfinalist in Majors, and before this season, she made the fourth round just once in Paris (in her second appearance in 2021).

Both players have won two titles each this season. After her defeat to World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka at the Australian Open, the 23-year-old lifted the Open de Rouen and the Madrid Open, and is on a 15-match winning streak.

Svitolina lifted the ASB Classic, then lost the Dubai Tennis Championships, before clinching her third title in Rome. Kostyuk and Svitolina are tied at 1-1 in their head-to-head matchups.

Iga Swiatek on her plans for the grass swing after defeat to Marta Kostyuk

Another clay season ended without Iga Swiatek reaching the final. The Pole, who completed the three-peat at the 2024 French Open, has not yet reached a final on this surface. Swiatek, who now holds a 3-1 head-to-head record over Marta Kostyuk, will be focusing on the grass swing.

I don’t know, I haven’t even thought about the grass yet, it’s hard to say. Last year was great, but my previous results weren’t bad either […] Well, it depends on how you look at them. I’ll probably take it easy, try to be patient and humble. I don’t know how it will go, I’m not a magician.

She will have a huge task at hand during the grass swing because she will be defending her Wimbledon title. Last year in the final, the 25-year-old clinched a shock double bagel victory over Amanda Anisimova.

First, I want to rest and then practice. I’m not planning anything yet; I don’t even think the team is planning anything yet. I have some commitments that I always do after Roland Garros, and then I’ll probably go somewhere outside of Poland to train on grass because it’s hard to practice on grass in Poland.

Iga Swiatek added

Last year, she featured in four finals. After reaching her first final of the season at the Bad Homburg Open and losing the title to Jessica Pegula, Swiatek won her sixth Major at Wimbledon and then lifted the Cincinnati Open against Jasmine Paolini and later overcame Ekaterina Alexandrova in the Korea Open final. This season, however, Swiatek has featured in just one semifinal. She made the last four at the Italian Open and lost to Elina Svitolina.

Swiatek even suffered an opening-round exit at the Miami Open and later fired Wim Fissette and hired Rafael Nadal‘s former coach, Francisco Roig, while training at the academy of the 22-time Grand Slam champion in Mallorca. But so far, the partnership has not produced a good result, even on clay, where Swiatek has lifted 10 singles titles.

Also read: Marta Kostyuk Reveals Painful Split with Mother That Fueled Her Roland Garros Breakthrough