Paris: French Open top seed Simona Halep crashed out of the year's final Grand Slam as 19-year-old Iga Swiatek, who managed just one game against Simona Halep in the round of 16 of Roland Garros last year, gave the Romanian a dose of her own medicine, handing her a 6-1, 6-2 straight-sets defeat at the Roland Garros on Sunday.
Swiatek kept Halep off balance from start to finish, using pace, angles and pure fearlessness to outplay the two-time major champion. In taking it to Halep, the 19-year-old struck 30 winners to Halep's 12 and did not face a breakpoint to reach her first major quarterfinal.
"It is my favourite. I always loved to play here, even when I was a junior," Swiatek told the crowd. "This week is like a dream come true for me. And I hope it's going to be longer."
As a result, the top half of the women's draw is guaranteed to boast a first-time major finalist.
This was Halep's first defeat since she suffered a defeat to Garbine Muguruza in the Australian Open semifinals.
