Day 5 of the Australian Open 2022 has begun with an upset. World Number 17 Elina Svitolina of Ukraine went down to former World Number 1 Viktoria Azarenka of Belarus in straight sets 6-0, 6-2 in an hour and 7 minutes at the Rod Laver Arena.
What went wrong for Elina Svitolina?
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In a lop-sided encounter, the 15th seed couldn’t sustain the pressure applied by Azarenka. Svitolina committed as many as 26 unforced errors as opposed to her opponent’s 9. Moreover, she could only get 51% of her first serves right as Azarenka managed 63% of her first serves in.
Further, Svitolina failed to convert any of the 4 breakpoints that were on offer. Azarenka meanwhile converted a whooping 5 breakpoints out of 7 which stands at 71%. Former world number one broke Svitolina 3 times in the first set to complete the whitewash and win the first set 6-0.
Svitolina was broken twice in the second set as Azarenka converted 2 out of 2 breakpoints that were up on the offer to eventually win the third-round match 6-0, 6-2. While Svitolina was weak on her own serve, Azarenka managed to take advantage of her opponent’s weak serve and managed to dominate the game.
The #AO2022 Wheelchair Draw kicks off on Sunday. @vika7 is ready to join the @DylanAlcott Farewell Tour cheer squad 🙌🇦🇺#AusOpen · #AO2022 pic.twitter.com/DjhQWoeRCq
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 21, 2022
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What next for the Ukrainian?
With her eventual exit in the third round, Elina Svitolina would see her WTA rankings dip further. However, she would be looking to come back stronger in the coming tournaments. Azarenka meanwhile is looking favored to go deep in the tournament. She will face the winner of Barbora Krejcikova vs Jelena Ostapenko’s match.
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Can Svitolina overcome her early defeat and make a comeback in the coming tournaments? Do let us know your views in the comments below.