via Reuters
Tokyo 2020 Olympics – Tennis – Women’s Singles – Semifinal – Ariake Tennis Park – Tokyo, Japan – July 29, 2021 Elina Svitolina of Ukraine in action during her semifinal match against Marketa Vondrousova of Czech Republic REUTERS/Edgar Su
via Reuters
Tokyo 2020 Olympics – Tennis – Women’s Singles – Semifinal – Ariake Tennis Park – Tokyo, Japan – July 29, 2021 Elina Svitolina of Ukraine in action during her semifinal match against Marketa Vondrousova of Czech Republic REUTERS/Edgar Su
For Elina Svitolina, the preparations for the upcoming 2021 US Open couldn’t have concluded in a better way. On Saturday, Svitolina defeated No.8 seed Alize Cornet in the final to lift the inaugural edition of the Chicago Women’s Open.
With the straight-sets victory, Svitolina claimed the 16th title of her career. It was her first title since the clay-court tournament in Strasbourg almost a year ago. The Ukrainian also improved her head-to-head record against Cornet to 5-3.
USA Today via Reuters
Aug 18, 2021; Mason, OH, USA; Elina Svitolina (UKR) returns a shot against Angelique Kerber (GER) during the Western and Southern Open tennis tournament at Lindner Family Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
Elina Svitolina lifts her 16th WTA title
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In the post-match press conference, Svitolina spoke about her intention before entering the Chicago Women’s Open. The top-seed played incredibly in the crunch moments, saving all the six break points she faced in the final.
“It was a good week here. Tough conditions the last few days, but in the end I’m very happy I could get a trophy. It’s a good feeling. I came here to get some confidence, play some good matches, and in the end it happened like that. I’m looking forward to New York,” said Svitolina.
Talking about Cornet, Svitolina praised her opponent’s fighting spirit and in addition, mentioned the harsh conditions on the court made the match further challenging.
via Reuters
Tokyo 2020 Olympics – Tennis – Women’s Singles – Quarterfinal – Ariake Tennis Park – Tokyo, Japan – July 28, 2021. Elina Svitolina of Ukraine reacts after winning her quarterfinal match against Camila Giorgi of Italy REUTERS/Mike Segar
“It’s never easy to play against Alize because she’s a great fighter, she puts a lot of balls back, and when it’s conditions like this, you’re not only playing against your opponent, you’re also playing against the conditions,” Svitolina told the media.
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With the title win coming as a tremendous boost of confidence, Svitolina is focused to carry the momentum to the US Open, which starts in a day’s time.
Svitolina last played at the US Open in 2019, where she reached the semifinals for the first time, losing to the 23-time Grand Slam champion, Serena Williams.
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Seeded No.5 at this year’s US Open, Svitolina begins her title hunt against Canadian tennis player, Rebecca Marino, in the opening round. It would be the first time the two players would face each other.
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