Iga Swiatek's U.S. Open title defence ends with a loss to Jelena Ostapenko in the 4th round

Iga Swiatek's U.S. Open title defence ended with a loss to Jelena Ostapenko, meaning Swiatek's stay at No. 1 in the WTA rankings will end. Ostapenko won with hard hitting and aggressive play, improving to 4-0 against Swiatek. Coco Gauff will face Ostapenko in the quarterfinals, having split their two previous meetings.

Iga Swiatek’s U.S. Open title defence ended with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 loss to Jelena Ostapenko in the fourth round on Sunday night.

The loss also means Swiatek's stay at No. 1 in the WTA rankings will end next week, when current No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka will rise to the top spot for the first time.

Swiatek's shots were off-target in Arthur Ashe Stadium and she had a difficult time handling the hard hitting from the 20th-seeded Ostapenko, who won the 2017 French Open.

“I knew I have to play my game,” Ostapenko said after accumulating 31 winners to 18 for Swiatek. “I knew I have to be aggressive, because that's what she doesn't really like.”

This was not necessarily a huge surprise, based on their previous matchups: Ostapenko has now improved to 4-0 against Swiatek over their careers. No other player owns four victories against the woman who has led the WTA rankings since April 2022.

“I was just thinking that I have to play until the very last point, until we shake hands,” Ostapenko said. “I didn't really give her many chances.”

After getting off to a terrific start to the second set, which she led 4-1, Ostapenko wavered for a bit. That allowed Swiatek to get a break back and pull within 4-3.