Couple goals? You would be hard-pressed to find a better example than Gael Monfils and Elina Svitolina. On Saturday, the husband and wife duo accomplished a rare feat for themselves in the third round of the 2025 Australian Open. Monfils came back up from being one set down to beat World No. 4 Taylor Fritz. On the other hand, World No. 27 Svitolina fought back hard despite trailing in the opening set, to edge out World No.4 Jasmine Paolini. And guess what? They both accomplished their wins on the same court, the Margaret Court Arena. First, it was Monfils and then Svitolina replicated him with her victory. One can say the two are actually having a ‘Happy Slam’ this season!

After the match, Svitolina was asked about her and Monfils’ victories and having each other’s support at the tournament. She answered, “Most of the big tournaments, we have each other by our sides. And it means a lot to have someone who understands what we are going through.” Speaking on the emphatic win in their respective Round 3 fixtures, she said, “It’s a great day for us today beating top 4 players and playing great tennis.”

Svitolina also talked about the fighting spirit they both showed against the likes of Fritz and Paolini. She said, “Today we both were a set down, both against really tough opponents who are not giving you many mistakes, who are, you know, know how to win big matches. I’m really proud of myself, of Gael, that we didn’t give up, that we believed in our game, believed that we could win”.

Monfils beat Fritz 3-6, 7-5, 7-6(1), 6-4. With his third round win, he also joined Roger Federer, as the only two men aged 38 or older to reach the fourth round of ‘Happy Slam’ since the event began having 128 players in 1988. On the other hand, Svitolina snatched the victory from Paolini with a score line of 2-6, 6-4, 6-0 that included 34 winners and 7 solid aces! But the most endearing part? The Ukrainian star revealed that Monfils’ win over the American inspired her to do better in her own encounter. And behind the scenes was one more person inspirating and grinding for her victory – and she made sure to know how cherished they were too. Any guesses?

Elina Svitolina celebrates coach’s birthday after emphatic victory

For the unversed, British ATP pro Andrew Bettles is Elina Svitolina‘s trainer at the moment. Thanks to him, she’s been performing impressively in her matches lately. It was his birthday on Friday, making Svitolina’s third round win even special. What more can a coach ask for than a gift like this?

During the press conference, the WTA pro mentioned she wanted to make this occasion extremely special. Svitolina said, “As I said, my start (to the match) was not great and I felt really bad on the court today. It’s my coach’s birthday today so I wouldn’t be so proud if I would finish the match playing that way.”

Per Svitolina, she “was just trying to really put a lot of fight there and stay” on the court for as long as possible against the Italian who took the first set easily. Bettles had initially joined her as a coach in 2018 but they parted ways in 2021. But last season in August, before the US Open, Svitolina reunited with him – and success clearly has followed.

In the WTA star’s 2025 Australian Open campaign, she will now face Veronika Kudermetova in the fourth round on Monday. Kudermetova is coming off her win against 15th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia. On the other hand, her husband Monfils will take on another American. On Monday, he will be up against rising talent Ben Shelton who beat Italy’s Lorenzo Mussetti on Friday. Will the pair be able to overcome their formidable opponents? Stay tuned to find out.