From qualifying to the semi-finals 🔥#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/Pi3NkkPyML
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 3, 2026
One by one, they dropped:
5th seed and Charleston champion Jessica Pegula in the first round
former champion Alona Ostapenko in the second round
13trh seed and former runner-up Jasmine Paolini in the second round
2nd seed Elena Rybakina in the second round
4th seed and defending champion Coco Gauff in the third round
6th seed Amanda Anisimova in the third round
10th seed and former runner-up Karolina Muchova in the third round
3rd seed and four-time champion Iga Swiatek in the round of 16
And that brings us to the quarterfinals--but don't expect the plot to twist back to "normal"--it doesn't.
The match that contained the most drama--before it even began--was the one played between countrywomen Elina Svitolina and Marta Kostyuk. Both women have been on the same upward track, i.e., they have both significantly improved their games and put themselves in much better positions to win big matches (and Svitolina did it after giving birth to her daughter). And they have both had to bear the burden of dealing with the ongoing war in Ukraine, and all the political and rhetorical baggage that goes with that.
There was tension, but it was good tension. The match, unsurprisingly, went to three sets, and it was Swiatek-slayer Kostyuk who prevailed. In fact, in the third set, Kostyuk rose to a level that rendered her very worthy opponent close to helpless at times. The 15th seed, having won 17 straight matches on clay, is undefeated on the surface this season.
Mirra Andreeva ended the impressive run of Sorana Cirstea. This was Cirstea's final Roland-Garros match; she's retiring at the end of this season, which--so far--has proven to be an outstanding one for the 36-year-old Romanian.
World number 1 and 2026 runner-up Aryna Sabalenka, seeking her first title in Paris, will have to wait another year. Diana Shnaider, the affable Russian in the headscarf, defeated Sabalenka 3-6, 7-5, 6-0 (and no, your eyes aren't deceiving you). Shnaider, in fact, was down a set and 1-4 when she dramatically turned the match around. Shnaider hit ten winners in the final set, and won 17 of the final 22 points of the match. She is now into her first major semifinal.
And now it's time to circle back to Poland. Iga Swiatek may be gone, but she left a friend behind. Polish player Maja Chwalinska, who had to win three qualifying rounds to get into the main draw, advanced to the semifinals today when she upset 22nd seed Anna Kalinskaya 7-6, 6-3.
Chwalinska, who is ranked number 114 in the world, had already knocked out Olympic gold medal winner Zheng Qinwen, 23rd seed Elise Mertens, Maria Sakkari, and last-Frenchwoman-standing Diane Parry.
A woman who, a few days ago, wasn't sure how she would pay for the unexpected extended stay at her hotel, is now in the final four of a major, and is only the second player in the Open Era to reach the Roland-Garros semifinals. The 24-year-old Chwalinska took a break from tennis a few years ago in order to deal with ongoing depression, and she returned to the tour with a different attitude about competition, winning and losing. Chwalinksa has competed mostly in ITF and WTA 125 events; prior to her Roland-Garros run, she had won only three main draw WTA matches. The story of this tournament is about a Polish woman, yes, but maybe it's not about Swiatek. (And Chwalinska's tennis sometimes brings to mind that of another great Polish player--also not Swiatek.)
Here is the semifinal draw:
Diana Shnaider (25) v. Maja Chwalinka
Marta Kostyuk (15) v. Mirra Andreeva (8)
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