Ukraine's Svitolina exits Montreal tournament after heavy loss
Elina Svitolina (photo: Getty Images)
Ukraine's top tennis player (No. 13 WTA) has ended her run at the "Omnium National Bank Open," held on hard courts in Canada. In the quarterfinal match, Svitolina was defeated by Japan's Naomi Osaka (No. 49).
Elina Svitolina failed to reach the WTA 1000 semifinal in Montreal
The match lasted 1 hour and 9 minutes. In each set, Osaka won four games in a row: after 1–1 in the first set and from 2–2 in the second.
The Japanese player proved not only more powerful but also more consistent in baseline rallies, which became the decisive factor. The final score was 2–6, 2–6.
Svitolina finished the match with two saved break points, four double faults, and only one break. Her opponent had one saved break point, two double faults, and won four return games.
This was already the eighth head-to-head meeting between the two. The Ukrainian player had won three of their previous encounters.
With this win, Osaka advanced to the semifinal, where she will face Denmark’s Clara Tauson (No. 19). In addition, the Japanese player will return to the WTA Top 30 for the first time since January 2022.
Svitolina's path in the tournament
For 30-year-old Svitolina, this quarterfinal was her fourth at WTA 1000 events this season. Before, she reached the semifinal stage only in Madrid.
On her way to the quarterfinal in Montreal, the Ukrainian defeated Russia's Kamilla Rakhimova (No. 62). Then she crushed another Russian player, Anna Kalinskaya (No. 31). In the round of 16, Svitolina gave no chances to American Amanda Anisimova (No. 7).
Elina currently remains at No. 13 in the WTA rankings.
Earlier, we reported that Ukraine's second-ranked player withdrew early from the competition in Montreal.
