Polish teenager Iga Swiatek caused the biggest upset of the 2020 French Open with a 6-1 6-2 domination of Simona Halep on Sunday.
Swiatek delivered the No.1 seed her first loss since January, ending the 17-match winning streak of the tournament’s red-hot favourite in just 67 minutes.
"This week is like a dream come true for me, and I hope it's gonna be longer,” the 19-year-old said on Court Philippe Chatrier.
In her first Grand Slam quarterfinal, Swiatek will play 159th-ranked Italian qualifier Martina Trevisan, who stunned fifth seed Kiki Bertens shortly afterward on Court Suzanne Lenglen.
Perfectly placed for a spot in the quarter-finals ?
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) October 4, 2020
Qualifier Martina Trevisan defeats No.5 seed Bertens 6-4 6-4.#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/YTSRDK8WIT
It continued a simply extraordinary 24 hours at Roland Garros for the women’s tournament, which lost its three most recent champions competing in the field.
Garbine Muguruza, the 2016 winner, and Jelena Ostapenko, who won in 2017, bowed out on Saturday night before Halep – the 2018 champion – followed them through the exit.
Defending champion Ash Barty, who did not travel to Paris, will retain the world No.1 ranking that Halep would have claimed by winning the title.
In 2019, Halep and Swiatek met at the same stage of the French Open, with the Romanian overwhelming the youngster 6-1 6-0 in a mere 45 minutes.
“The biggest reason that this match lasted, like, 40 minutes was that I was super stressed. I wasn't experienced,” admitted Swiatek after her third-round win over Eugenie Bouchard.
“Right now I feel more experienced. I know that it's going to be different.”
She was correct.
Halep: “All the credit to her, she played unbelievable today and she was everywhere and she hit all the balls in very strong, very powerful…. It was her match today.” #RG20
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) October 4, 2020
Blasting through the Romanian with her powerful groundstrokes and moving athletically about the court, the world No.54 took the opening set in just 23 minutes, thanks to 17 winners against just seven errors.
By midway through the second set, Swiatek had already notched 27 winners to Halep’s seven, while her forehand was averaging 124km/h – the same average speeds registered by Dominic Thiem and Jannik Sinner this fortnight.
Halep, who had won the Prague and Rome clay-court titles before arriving in Paris, fought gamely, extending the second set to 44 minutes and forcing the Polish rising to star to produce an exceptional level.
But Swiatek looked undaunted, playing with an intensity and focus that proved impossible for the world No.2 to counter.
"Of course it's not easy to take it, but I'm used to some tough moments in this career. So I will have a chocolate and I will be better tomorrow." - HALEP, Simona.
— Tumaini Carayol (@tumcarayol) October 4, 2020
"I don't know what happened actually,” Swiatek laughed. “I felt like I was playing perfectly, and I was so focused the whole match, that even I am surprised that I can do that (laughter).
"(Last year against Halep) was my first match in a big stadium like that, so I was pretty stressed. And since then, I've made huge progress, because I've played a few big matches against Simona, against Caroline Wozniacki and Naomi (Osaka), and I think it helped me a lot.
“And right now I feel like I can handle the pressure.”
Last year, after swatting aside Swiatek in Paris, Halep fell to Amanda Anisimova. This time around, after Halep avenged that loss to Anisimova, it was Swiatek who then turned the tables on Halep.
No.3 seed Elina Svitolina is now the highest-ranked player remaining in the draw, while AO 2020 champion Sofia Kenin and two-time Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova are the only players still in contention who have already won Grand Slam titles.
No one left in the field has ever won the French Open.