French Open: Simona Halep knocked out in fourth round by Iga Swiatek

Coming in as a stunning result, top-seeded Simona Halep, who was one of the favourites, have been knocked out of the Roland Garros by 19-year-old Iga Swiatek in the fourth round. 

Swiatek bettered the 2018 champion in just 70 minutes and won the match 6-1, 6-2.  

The Polish teenager, who is ranked 54 in the world, will take on either Dutch fifth seed Kiki Bertens or Italian qualifier Martina Trevisan for a place in the semi-finals.

After winning two claycourt titles in Prague and Rome, Halep seemed to have her clear momentum coming into the Roland Garros and was an overwhelming favourite in the absence of 2019 champion Ashleigh Barty and US Open winner Naomi Osaka and the injury-enforced withdrawal of Serena Williams.

“I am surprised I could do this,” admitted Iga Swiatek after ending Simona Halep’s 17-match winning streak. She had last lost in the semifinals of the Australian Open.  

“I felt like I played a great match,” added Swiatek, as per AFP reports, who will be playing in her first quarter-finals at the majors.

It was a stunning turnaround for the Pole who won just one game against Halep at the same stage in Paris last year, getting swept off court in just 45 minutes.

“Last year I wasn’t experienced enough, it was my first match in a big stadium so I was a little stressed.”

“But I have made a lot of progress since then, playing girls like Simona, Naomi and Caroline Wozniacki. Now I can handle the pressure.”

Swiatek swept through the opening set in just 23 minutes, firing 17 winners to Halep’s four.

The teenager tightened her grip, breaking in the first game of the second set with Halep having to fight off four break points in the third game to stay afloat.

Halep, 29, saved five more breakpoints in the fifth game but a weary forehand drifted wide and her Polish opponent was 4-1 up with the cushion of a double break.

She took victory on a second match point, ending the tie in 68 minutes on the back of 30 winners and not having allowed Wimbledon champion Halep a single breakpoint.

On her path to the fourth round, the Pole made a clean sweep of all the sets in the French Open, however, it was slated to be the end of her Roland Garros 2020 journey against the World no. 2.