“Nothing is that big”: Marta Kostyuk explains mindset behind Roland Garros win over Iga Swiatek

Marta Kostyuk reached the first Roland-Garros quarterfinal of her career after a statement victory over four-time champion Iga Swiatek. The Ukrainian extended her clay-court winning streak to 16 matches, a run that now positions her as the standout performer of the season on the surface.

The win also marked only her second appearance in a Grand Slam quarterfinal, following her earlier breakthrough at the Australian Open 2024. The result confirmed a significant step forward in her consistency and tactical maturity across the 2026 season.

Kostyuk has now won consecutive titles in Rouen and Madrid, the latter her first WTA 1000 triumph. The clay swing has transformed her trajectory, with sustained wins against top-level opposition culminating in her defeat of Swiatek in Paris.

The 23-year-old will now face compatriot Elina Svitolina for a place in the semifinals, guaranteeing at least one Ukrainian player will reach the last four at Roland-Garros.

Kostyuk’s win over Swiatek was defined less by a single tactical shift and more by a consistent application of pressure across return games. She repeatedly targeted the Polish player’s second serve, forcing errors and disrupting rhythm at key moments throughout the match.

The Ukrainian also described a shift in mentality that has underpinned her clay-court surge. “Nothing is that big,” she said, referring to her approach to individual points and momentum swings during matches.

“Right now the biggest thing that I do is that nothing is that big. Like not one point is that important. There is another one always coming. So I always try to keep that in mind and think about the longer perspective on what kind of player I want to be and where I want to be.”

The statement reflects a recurring theme in her season: reducing emotional volatility and prioritising process over immediate outcomes. That approach has coincided with her most stable stretch of results on tour.

The victory over Swiatek extends Kostyuk’s clay record to 16 consecutive wins, a streak that places her in rare historical company since the introduction of WTA rankings. Only Justine Henin, in 2005, has produced a comparable run on the surface.

Her season includes back-to-back titles in Rouen and Madrid, with the latter marking her first WTA 1000 title. “I think I just give myself more space. I’m enjoying more just creating points, dealing with challenges and learning how to navigate difficult situations in matches, and I’ve been doing it well.”

The tactical foundation of her win against Swiatek was built on return pressure. Kostyuk consistently neutralised the Polish player’s first-strike patterns and increasingly dictated baseline exchanges as the match progressed.

“She wasn’t hurting me much with the first serve today and I was just returning everything. It’s not easy to play against someone who returns all of your serves and puts a lot of pressure on you on the second serve.”

As Swiatek’s serve efficiency declined under pressure, Kostyuk gained additional court time and began stepping into returns more aggressively, shifting the match balance in her favour.

Beyond the technical and statistical dimensions, Kostyuk’s tournament has also been shaped by perspective. The Ukrainian acknowledged that external circumstances have influenced how she frames competition, particularly during emotionally complex periods of her career.

She described moments of detachment from tennis itself, while still maintaining competitive focus once matches begin. “Sometimes it gives you a different perspective, whether it’s that it’s not important at all that I’m here, or that it’s great that I’m here and I have this opportunity and I’m really thankful for that.

"So it depends on the day, but it gave me more understanding that there are much bigger things in life than tennis, and I try to keep that in mind always.”

The upcoming quarterfinal against Elina Svitolina guarantees Ukrainian representation in the semifinals. Kostyuk described her compatriot as a reference figure in Ukrainian tennis and expects a demanding match based on their previous encounters.

With form, confidence, and a historic winning streak behind her, Kostyuk arrives in the last eight not as a surprise package, but as a genuine contender shaped by the most consistent stretch of her career to date.