Elina Svitolina Survives Jelena Ostapenko Test to Reach the Quarterfinals at WTA Melbourne 2

Ukrainian star Elina Svitolina was looking to reach the latter stages of the Gippsland trophy. However, in order to so, she had to face a tough challenge in the form of former French Open champion, Jelena Ostapenko.

Elina Svitolina vs Jelena Ostapenko: First Set

The first set of the match was one full of twists and turns. Both players broke each other multiple times, and they also had opportunities to serve out the set. Unfortunately, neither of them was able to seal it, and hence, the first set went to a tie-breaker.

In the tie-breaker, Ostapenko overpowered Svitolina and won it 7-4. This was definitely not the start that the Ukrainian wanted.

Second and Third Set

After losing the first set narrowly, Svitolina came up with the perfect response in the second. She broke Ostapenko very early and raced to a 3-0 lead to gain a huge advantage in the second set.

Unlike the first set, Elina was holding serve very easily. She did not face too many breakpoints and was also able to save all of them. Great serving like this, along with the early break, allowed the Ukrainian to seal the set 6-3. It was a great comeback from her to force a decider.

Svitolina played really well in the second set, and she continued to do so in the third. She got an early break again, which put an enormous amount of pressure on Ostapenko. Elina went on to break again to seal the match 6-7, 6-3, 6-2.

It was certainly a tough match for Elina, but she will be happy that she was able to win it. Such wins will aid in her preparation for the Australian Open, where she will hope to win her first-ever Grand Slam.