Elina Svitolina’s storybook perform at Wimbledon pertained to a painful end on Thursday as she lost her semifinal match versus Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic in straight sets.
Svitolina, a brand-new mom from Ukraine who has actually ended up being a sign of defiance considering that the Russian intrusion in February 2022– specifically so throughout her perform at the French Open and Wimbledon– was up to Vondrousova, 6-3, 6-3, on an error-filled afternoon under the roofing on Centre Court.
For 10 days, Svitolina, who required a wild card to enter into the competition, had actually played tennis with a mix of liberty and defiance that delighted the British crowd, specifically throughout her win over 19th-seeded Victoria Azarenka of Belarus in the 4th round, when she dominated in a last set tiebreaker after Azarenka appeared to have the match all however won. 2 days later on, Svitolina fell Iga Swiatek of Poland, the world No. 1 and four-time Grand Slam champ, in another tense and psychological three-set accomplishment.
She mentioned how the war and being a brand-new mom had actually altered her and her method to tennis, even making her much better due to the fact that she had a brand-new point of view on the sport.
” I do not take tight spots as like a catastrophe,” she stated. “There are even worse things in life. I’m simply more calmer.”
However then she faced Vondrousova, a skilled and difficult left-handed gamer who might not have anything near to the résumé of Swiatek and Azarenka– or Sofia Kenin or Venus Williams, 2 of Svitolina’s other victims at this competition– however she played as if she did.
Vondrousova, who was a ranked No. 1 worldwide as a junior and reached the French Open last in 2019, is establishing a practice of playing the spoiler. At the Tokyo Olympics, she got rid of Naomi Osaka of Japan, the nationwide hero and global star who had actually lit the Olympic torch at the opening event, and went on to win a silver medal.
Versus Svitolina, she showed every bit of the ability that she has actually displayed in her finest matches, flaunting a different attack that consists of rolling forehands, drop shots and a fondness for going to the web to complete points at every chance. Being left-handed likewise assists. It requires challengers to get used to various spins than they typically deal with and to change the instructions of their attack if they wish to get the ball onto her backhand.
She had lots of assistance from Svitolina, who throughout the very first hour of the match appeared she had actually lost the heavenly feel for the ball that had actually defined her play throughout a lot of the competition. Swiatek has actually discussed how this variation of Svitolina, who invested a lot of her maternity leave raising cash for war relief in Ukraine, was so various.
” She had fun with more liberty and more guts,” Swiatek stated. “In some cases she truly simply release her hand and she played truly, truly quick.”
That variation of Svitolina appeared just quickly. In the 2nd set, down a set and 4-0, she broke Vondrousova’s serve two times to acquire an opportunity to even the set.
The crowd, which had actually desired so terribly to assist swing the match in her favor, came alive as Svitolina blurt a scream and a fist pump and avoided towards her chair for the changeover. However as quickly as she took the momentum, she offered it right back.