Elina Svitolina outshines Maria Sakkari to reach Tokyo Olympics Quarterfinals

It was a tough battle between two tennis icons dubbed Elina Svitolina and Maria Sakkari at the Tokyo Olympics.

However, as it is in the limelight, this is not the first time the two players are playing together. Sakkari and Elina have previously played each other on three occasions.

Therefore, at the time they were competing together in Tokyo, the two knew exactly what to expect.

At a much-hyped match, Ukrainian sensation Elina emerged the winner this time around. She won over Maria at scores of 5-7 6-3 6-4.

The match began with Elina getting the first break of the match. The two maintained a high-level game. In the seventh game of the set, Maria broke back and levelled things up.

The two hopeful players made efforts to maintain a good game. Sakkari maintained the momentum and she interestingly broke again.

On to a much more hyped game, Svitolina broke again to level things up with Maria to a point of 5-5. On to the next game, Maria Sakkari broke Elina for the third time in the set.

She consolidated the break and won the set 7-5. This win lasted for over an hour.

However, Elina Svitolina did not seem to give up that easily. In the next set, she upped her game and eventually raised her level.

She got more focused and maintained consistency as compared to her performance in the previous set which seemed shaky.

Continuation

On to the fourth game of the set, the Greek talent was subsided. Towards the end, Elina Svitolina closed the set at a score of 6-3 in her favour at the break.

Things got more heated at the final set where the winner of the match would be determined. This meant more and more determination coming from both sides.

At the beginning of the final set, both Maria Sakkari and Elina were striking the ball with effectiveness.

On to a small heat up, Sakkari was broken at first but later struck right back. Elina did not also relent. She got the break in the seventh game.

That helped her get closer toward the finishing line. At the end of the game, Svitolina served for the set, winning 6-4 in 50 minutes.

That was her joy and a boost of confidence in her next matches and the rest of the season. She is set to face the winner of the match between Karolina Pliskova and Camila Giorgi.

Elina Svitolina Biography

Elina Svitolina is a Ukrainian professional tennis player. Her full byline is Elina Mykhailivna Svitolina. She was born on the 12th of September 1994, in Odesa, Ukraine.

The tennis prowess turned professional in the year 2010. She is widely celebrated for her determination on the tennis court.

Elina reached a career-high ranking of world No.3 on 11th September 2017, and again on 9th September 2019.

Svitolina has won 15 WTA singles titles. That is in the inclusion of the 2018 WTA Finals and three of five Premier 5-level tournaments in 2017.

The three tournaments include the Dubai Tennis Championships, the Italian Open and the Canadian Open.

Elina Svitolina continually made impressive progress in the tennis field. She got recognized globally for her prowess.

At the 2015 French Open, she reached her first Grand Slam quarterfinal. Unfortunately, she was outshined by former champion dubbed Ana Ivanovic.

Svitolina became the first Ukrainian woman to break into the top-10 rankings. That was in February 2017 after winning the title in Dubai.

More achievements

On to more of her achievements, at the 2019 Wimbledon Championships, Svitolina would finally reach her first Grand Slam semifinal. She followed it up with a second consecutive semifinal at the 2019 US Open.

Elina Svitolina’s first top-10 win came about over Kvitova in 2014 at the Cincinnati Open. That was when she reached her first semifinal at a Premier 5 tournament.

She also has six wins over a world No. 1 to her name, three over Kerber, two over Halep and one over Serena Williams.

In doubles, Svitolina has won two titles, both at the İstanbul Cup, in 2014 and 2015. Her career-high ranking in doubles play is world No. 108, which she reached on 4 May 2015.

Svitolina, as well qualified for the US Open. She was defeated in the first round by 12th seed and eventual quarterfinalist Ana Ivanovic. She won the WTA 125K Royal Indian Open title in Pune.

At the 2013 first WTA title, Svitolina gained direct entry into the Australian Open, where she was defeated by fifth seed Angelique Kerber in the first round.

Elina’s career has therefore been shining with a fair share of achievements.