By Richard Pagliaro | Friday, May 24, 2026
Photo credit: Antoine Couvercelle/ROLEX
Facing fear is a prerequisite for premier champions.
Iga Swiatek was hardly spooked by a rematch with compatriot and Miami Open conqueror Magda Linette today.
Four-time champion Swiatek surged through five games in a row sparking a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Linette at Roland Garros today.
Former world No. 1 Swiatek improved to 43-3 lifetime in Paris.
Swiatek sped into the French Open fourth round for the eighth straight year where she figures to face her toughest test of the tournament against Madrid champion Marta Kostyuk.
The 15th-seeded Kostyuk broke four times dispatching 82nd-ranked Swiss Viktorija Golubic 6-4, 6-3 in 99 minutes.
A red-hot Kostyuk improved to 14-0 on clay this season—she’s the only woman in the field undefeated on dirt at Tour-level this season.
Former world No. 1 Swiatek is 3-0 vs. Kostyuk, sweeping all six sets they’ve played, including a 6-3, 6-4 victory in the 2021 Roland Garros fourth round.
Five years after that loss, Kostyuk has returned to the round of 16 for second time.
Today, Linette, who beat Swiatek 1-6, 7-5, 6-3 in Miami in March prompting her compatriot to part with coach Wim Fissette and hire new coach Francisco Roig, broke first and built a 4-3 lead.
Finding the range on her heavy topspin forehand, Swiatek broke at 30 for 5-4 then served out the 39-minute opener firing a forehand to convert her second set point.
Moving fluidly and hitting with depth, Swiatek charged through five games in a row snatching a 6-4, 4-1 lead.
Though Linette won eight of the next nine points closing to 3-4, Swiatek accelerated through her drives and closed a confident win in 85 minutes.