Ukrainian Kostyuk storms into Roland Garros Round of 16 clash with Swiatek
Marta Kostyuk (photo: Getty Images)
Ukraine’s number one player, Marta Kostyuk, has reached the Round of 16 of the prestigious Grand Slam tournament Roland Garros 2026 for the second time in her career, according to the match result.
Hard-fought victory and continuation of a historic record
In the third-round match, the 23-year-old Kyiv native, seeded 15th in the tournament, confidently defeated Switzerland’s Viktorija Golubic.
The match on the Paris clay lasted just over an hour and a half and ended with the Ukrainian winning in straight sets.
The first set was extremely tense: the players exchanged breaks twice in a row.
Everything was decided in the tenth game on the Swiss player’s serve, where Marta finally managed to break her opponent on her fourth attempt — 6:4.
In the second set, the Ukrainian started with a strong 3:0 run. Golubic tried to mount resistance, but Kostyuk maintained her advantage and closed out the match in her favor.
This victory allowed Marta to extend her unique winning streak on clay to 15 consecutive matches, setting a new personal record.
In addition, the Ukrainian has now defeated Golubic three times in their head-to-head meetings, remaining undefeated against the Swiss player.
What this success means for Kostyuk
Reaching the fourth round of the French Open is a significant achievement for Marta for several reasons:
Matching her Paris record: Marta has reached the Roland Garros Round of 16 for the second time. She first achieved this five years ago, when she lost to Poland’s Iga Świątek.
Fourth Grand Slam Round of 16: Overall, this is Kostyuk’s fourth appearance at this stage in Grand Slam tournaments (including the quarterfinal at the Australian Open 2024 and the fourth round at the US Open).
Ukrainians on the Paris courts
Roland Garros 2026 is taking place in the French capital on classic clay courts, with a record total prize fund of €25,940,000 this year.
Kostyuk’s path to this success has been impressive: in the first round, she confidently defeated former Russian player Oksana Selekhmeteva, and in the second round, she comfortably overcame the determined American Katie Volynets.
Today, May 29, other Ukrainian athletes are also competing on the Paris courts in third-round matches — Elina Svitolina and Yulia Starodubtseva.
It is also worth noting that ahead of the tournament, Marta Kostyuk improved her WTA ranking status, solidifying her position as Ukraine’s top-ranked player after a series of strong performances on European tournaments.
