Marta Kostyuk is into the Roland Garros semi-finals after a 6-3 2-6 6-2 victory over Elina Svitolina.
The 15th seed recorded a 16th consecutive win as she knocked out the seventh seed to reach her first Grand Slam semi-final.
As for Svitolina, it has been a great clay court swing but her wait for a Grand Slam title continues.
Kostyuk will now face Mirra Andreeva in the semi-finals on Thursday.
In the opening set, it was Kostyuk who made the quicker start to the match as she hit freely and dictated the tempo of the rallies.
There was a passive start from Svitolina who wanted to play her usual game and ultimately paid for that with Kostyuk taking an early 3-0 lead.
As the match went on, Svitolina extended the rallies and started to be more proactive with her positioning on court.
There was some big forehands from Svitolina who was aggressive when she needed to be but couldn’t put the finishing touches on big points.
Inevitably, Kostyuk’s fiery game was bound to dip at some point and Svitolina needed to take advantage of the 15th seed’s inconsistencies.
That’s exactly what the Rome champion did as she broke back in the seventh game with more errors coming from the Kostyuk game.
However, the Madrid champion did well to bounce back and control her aggression as she broke immediately back in the following game.
It was a big test of character for Kostyuk who was under pressure as Svitolina once again opened up the court on the forehand side and created two break points.
Once again, Svitolina lacked that clinical edge as Kostyuk came up with some big points in crucial moments as the 15th seed saved the break points and held serve to take the opening set.
There needed to be a change of approach from Svitolina if she wanted to win this match and that’s exactly what she did.
The seventh seed was more aggressive in her return positioning and used the forehand to dictate the tempo of the rallies.
It was a proactive and aggressive start to the match as Svitolina raced to a 3-0 lead before Kostyuk started to find her range again.
There was a catalogue of unforced errors from Kostyuk and she managed to steady the ship after that.
However, Svitolina produced a strong end to the set to break once again and level this match at one set all.
In the deciding set there was an exchange of breaks as Svitolina continued her aggressive returning while Kostyuk took the forehand earlier.
It was tense moments in the middle of the set as both players produced high-quality shot-making.
However, it was Kostyuk who made her move in the fifth game as an incredible reflex volley secured a big break of serve for a 3-2 lead.
From then on Kostyuk went from strength to strength as the 15th seed held to love before executing some clever drop shots to secure the double break lead at 5-2.
A comfortable hold of serve secured Kostyuk her first Grand Slam semi-final of her career.
It was disappointment for Svitolina who had an incredible clay court season which included winning Rome.
However, a 16th consecutive win for Kostyuk means she will take on eighth seed Mirra Andreeva for a place in the final.
