Unseeded teenager Iga Swiatek thrashed French Open favourite Simona Halep to reach her first grand slam quarter-final at Roland Garros on Sunday.
Halep beat Swiatek 6-1 6-0 at the same stage of the Paris major last year, but the world number 54 from Poland gained sweet revenge with a magnificent 6-1 6-2 victory on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
Two-time grand slam champion Halep had won a career-best 17 consecutive matches, but she was bulled by the inspired 19-year-old, who hit 30 winners and did not face a break point in a stunning performance.
Swiatek's reward for a relentless display will be a last-eight showdown with outsider Martina Trevisan in Paris, where the seeds continue to crash out in a women's draw that is wide open.
The aggressive Swiatek made a blistering start, winning the first three games as she pummelled Halep with thunderous groundstrokes - her forehand in particular firing on all cylinders.
Halep had no answer to the relentless Warsaw native, who went 5-1 up with an exquisite drop shot and wrapped up the opening set in just 24 minutes.
Swiatek showed no let-up at the start of the second set, breaking in the first game and unleashing more rasping forehands in a lengthy fifth game before Halep netted at full stretch to go 4-1 down after saving five break points.
Halep was shellshocked and Swiatek completed an astonishing demolition of the 2018 champion, serving out a one-sided match with nerves of steel.
Swiatek stuns Halep!
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) October 4, 2020
Teenager @iga_swiatek needs just 70 minutes to end Halep’s streak 6-1 6-2.#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/dlh5372wsY
19yo Iga Swiatek hits 30 winners and beats the top seed Simona Halep 6-1, 6-2 to reach her first Grand Slam QFs at #RG20.
— José Morgado (@josemorgado) October 4, 2020
That was incredible.
[getty] pic.twitter.com/YT7YJD9IP4
Speaking post match, Swiatek said that the win and her week so far in Paris has been like a 'dream come true'.
"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 will take on Trevisan in the most unlikely of quarterfinals after she defeated fifth-seed Kiki Bertens.
Trevisan, who was a qualifier for the tournament, has already beaten a number of big names on her run to the last eight of the French Open.
She has defeated American teenager Coco Gauf and 20th-seed Maria Sakkari before claiming the biggest scalp of her career in Bertens.
Upsets keep coming, this one bigger:
— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) October 4, 2020
#159 Martina Trevisan, a qualifier, STUNS #5 Kiki Bertens 6-4, 6-4 to reach #RG20 quarterfinals.
And now instead of facing #1 seed Simona Halep, she’ll face #54 Iga Swiatek for a spot in the last four.
What a wild start to Day 8 in Paris.
For both players, this result marks their best ever performance at a Grand Slam singles tournament.
And it means that Swiatek, the world number 54, or Trevisan, the world number 159, will go through to the semifinals of this year's French Open.
The only seed that remains on their half of the draw is the third seed, Ukraine's Elina Svitolina.
2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin and two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova also remain in the draw.
The result also means that Australia's Ash Barty will remain World Number One at the end of the year, with Halep the only player who would have been able to catch her.