Ukraine's Svitolina crushes Wimbledon finalist and reaches Canada Masters quarters (video)
Elina Svitolina advances to quarterfinals of WTA 1000 tournament in Montreal (photo: Getty Images)
Ukraine's top tennis player, Elina Svitolina (WTA 13), continues her strong run at the WTA 1000 hard-court tournament in Montreal, Canada. In the fourth round, she defeated American Amanda Anisimova (WTA 7), this year's Wimbledon finalist, in straight sets.
Montreal, WTA 1000, Round of 16
Elina Svitolina (Ukraine) vs Amanda Anisimova (USA) 6–4, 6–1
How the match unfolded
The match lasted 1 hour and 27 minutes. While the score may look dominant, there was plenty of competition on the court, especially in the first set, where both players stayed neck and neck until Svitolina, leading 5–4, broke serve to close out the set.
The second set also began competitively. The key moment, especially psychologically, came in the third game on Svitolina's serve. It lasted over 10 minutes, during which she saved three break points and eventually won the game on her eighth attempt. That gave her a confidence boost, and from that point on, she fully dominated the match.
What the win means for Svitolina
This is Svitolina's fourth WTA 1000 quarterfinal appearance this season. It's also her fourth time reaching the quarterfinals at the Canadian “1000-level” event.
She last played in the quarterfinals here in 2018. Her best result in Canada remains her 2017 title in Toronto (the tournament alternates between Montreal and Toronto each year).
Who's next
In the quarterfinals, Svitolina will face Naomi Osaka of Japan, a former world No. 1 who is currently ranked No. 49.
The two have faced off seven times before, with Osaka leading the head-to-head 4–3.
Another Ukrainian, Marta Kostyuk, also advanced to the quarterfinals in Montreal after a hard-fought win over American McCartney Kessler.
Previously, we reported on how Dayana Yastremska became one of the most successful Ukrainian players at Wimbledon.
