WTA 250 debut: Ukrainian Svitolina teams up with legendary Williams
Elina Svitolina (photo: Getty Images)
Ukraine’s top-ranked player, Elina Svitolina, began her 2026 season in the doubles draw of the WTA 250 tournament in Auckland. Her return to doubles after a long hiatus ended in defeat in the very first round, according to the match result.
Return to doubles after a break
The match in New Zealand marked Svitolina’s first official doubles appearance in over four years. She last played in this format at the Tokyo 2021 Olympics.
This time, her partner was legendary American Venus Williams, former world No. 1, now 45 years old.
Match summary
In the first-round match, Svitolina and Williams spent about an hour and a half on court, losing in straight sets to the American-Philippine duo Iva Jovic and Alexandra Eala – 6:7(7), 1:6.
In the first set, the Ukrainian-American pair had several chances to close it out. They held set points at 5:4 and 6:5, and twice in the tiebreak, but their opponents managed to escape each critical moment, ultimately taking the set by winning three decisive points in a row.
The second set was dominated by Eala and Jovic. They sealed the victory in less than half an hour, not losing a single service game and converting their first match point – 6:1.
Over the match, Svitolina and Williams hit two aces, committed four double faults, and converted only three of 13 break points.
What’s next for Ukraine’s top player
Despite the doubles loss, Elina Svitolina will continue competing in the singles draw of the tournament. As the top seed, she will open her campaign against France’s Varvara Gracheva. The match is scheduled for the night leading into Tuesday, January 6.
Over her career, Svitolina has won two WTA doubles titles and reached a career-high of 108th in the world doubles rankings. Venus Williams is a 15-time Grand Slam champion and three-time Olympic gold medalist in doubles.
