LONDON - Women's top seed Simona Halep crashed out of the French Open fourth round on Sunday after the world number two was stunned 6-1, 6-2 in 68 minutes by Polish teenager Iga Swiatek.
In her first ever grand slam quarter-final, Swiatek will play either fifth seed Kiki Bertens or Italy's Martina Trevisan.
"I felt like I was playing perfectly," Swiatek said in an interview on Court Philippe Chatrier. "I was so focused the whole match and I'm surprised I could do that. This week has been a dream come true for me."
"It is my favourite... this week is like a dream come true for me."@iga_swiatek loves #RolandGarros ♥️ pic.twitter.com/DbRTMwMJ1C
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) October 4, 2020
Swiatek, ranked 54th in the world, dominated in the rallies as she won three straight games before breaking Halep's serve a second time for a 5-1 lead after just 20 minutes.
The 19-year-old pumped her first and roared "come on," when she sealed the first set with a blistering forehand down the line to take command.
Halep was clearly shaken by such an overwhelming start as she panicked with a series of errors and the 2018 champion faltered to find herself 4-1 down by a double break in the second set.
Swiatek served for another 5-1 advantage and even though Halep held on for the following game, Halep's time in Paris was over when Swiatek booked her quarter-final spot with an overwhelming final serve.
dpa