On Tuesday, top-seeded Iga Swiatek and American Jessica Pegula were both eliminated from Wimbledon. Ukrainian wild card Elina Svitolina, who returned to the tour in April after giving birth to her daughter last October, defeated the top-seeded Iga Swiatek on Centre Court 7-5, 6-7 (5), 6-2, reaching the semifinals at the All England Club for the second time in four years.
Meanwhile, Pegula’s aspirations of reaching her first Grand Slam semifinal were crushed when she was unable to win another game after leading 4-1 in the final set against Marketa Vondrousova, a left-handed Czech player who reached the French Open final in 2019.
In blustery conditions, Svitolina, 28, struggled to get her serve going and trailed 4-2 in the opening set as Iga Swiatek moved to a 5-3 lead. However, momentum suddenly shifted Elina Svitolina’s way after losing the following two points. She won 16 of the next 18 points to take the first set and leave a bewildered Iga Swiatek pondering what had gone wrong during a 20-minute break to close the roof.
“Honestly, it’s hard for me to, like, point (to) one thing what failed exactly,” Swiatek said. “I think Elina was just overall playing aggressively and giving it all in every shot.”
During the interlude, Swiatek had an opportunity to reassess her tactics, and she fought fiercely to win the second-set tiebreak on Svitolina’s errant backhand. Elina Svitolina remained confident, however, as she broke Iga Swiatek’s serve to take a 2-1 lead in the final set. From there, she dominated the rest of the way, ending Swiatek’s 14-match winning streak and securing the victory.
Elina Svitolina vs Iga Swiatek: The Ukrainian emphasizes the impact that her daughter has on her playing
“First of all I’m going to have a beer, probably,” Svitolina said during her on-court interview. “At the beginning of the tournament, if someone would tell me that I will be in the semifinal and beating world No. 1, I would just say that they’re crazy.”
“At the beginning of the tournament, if someone would tell me that I will be in the semifinal and beating world No. 1, I would just say that they’re crazy.”
Elina Svitolina
Svitolina says that she now plays for more significant reasons, including her daughter Skaï, who was born in October, and her country Ukraine, which is still embroiled in a war that started with Russia’s invasion in February 2022.
“War made me stronger and also made me mentally stronger,” Svitolina said. “Mentally, I don’t take difficult situations as, like, a disaster, you know? There are worse things in life. I’m just more calmer.
“Of course, I want to win. I have this motivation, like huge motivation, to come back to the top. But I think having a child — and war — made me a different person. I look at the things a bit differently.”
“Of course, I want to win. I have this motivation, like huge motivation, to come back to the top. But I think having a child — and war — made me a different person. I look at the things a bit differently.”
It was her seventh career victory against a world No. 1 player, which ranks second among active players to Venus Williams (15).
In the next round, Svitolina will face Vondrousova after becoming the third woman to defeat four former major champions in a Grand Slam event.
“I’m just going to enjoy tonight and then get some treatment, get some massage, much needed and then just regroup and be ready for the next big battle,” said Svitolina, who is ranked No. 76 in the world and entered Wimbledon with 100-1 odds to win.
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