Ukrainian tennis player Svitolina secures hard-fought victory in first round of US Open 2024
Photo: Elina Svitolina advanced to the second round of the tournament (Getty Images)
Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina defeated Argentina's Maria Lourdes Carle in the first round of the US Open.
US Open, 1st round, women
Svitolina vs. Carle – 2:1 (3:6, 6:3, 6:4)
The match started with a surprising twist. Svitolina opened the score, but the Argentine player responded by winning four consecutive points. Svitolina struggled to recover from her opponent’s aggressive play. Although she managed two breaks, she also lost her serve twice.
The Ukrainian player bounced back in the second set. This time, after Carle won the first point, Svitolina responded with five of her own. Carle managed to break Svitolina's serve in the eighth game, but the Ukrainian quickly broke back, leveling the match at one set each.
In the decisive set, both players initially focused on holding their serves. The turning point came in the sixth game. With the score at 3:2 in Svitolina's favor, she secured a break. However, Carle surprisingly broke back in the ninth game (4:5). Svitolina, determined not to let the match go to a tiebreak, broke Carle's serve once more and closed out the match.
In the next round, Svitolina will face the winner of the match between Océane Dodin and Anhelina Kalinina. The Frenchwoman and the Ukrainian are set to play on the evening of August 26.
