Fifth-seeded Elina Svitolina zoomed into the second week of the U.S. Open for the third straight year rather emphatically, eliminating fellow countrywoman/No. 32 seed Dayana Yastremska on Friday, August 30, in straight sets, 6-2, 6-0. Svitolina won 6-4, 6-4 in the quarterfinal against Johanna Konta of Great Britain on September 3 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, N.Y. Svitolina is set to play the semifinal against Serena Williams as the tournament continues through September 8.
Konta was the first British woman to reach the U.S. Open quarterfinal round since Jo Durie in 1983. Svitolina’s ability to keep putting the ball back into play proved to test Konta’s weaknesses, leading to aggressive returns by the Brit that allowed errors to rob her performance.
In the match against Yastremska, Svitolina said: “It was a really solid performance, I thought, for me. I didn’t give many unforced errors. She’s a good player and can strike the ball very good, so I had to stay really focused from the beginning. For me, was important to stay solid from the baseline, then take my chance which happened.”
The victory got Svitolina to within a win of completing a boxed set of Grand Slam quarterfinal appearances (attained by beating Madison Keys in a round of 16 match on September 1), having reached the semifinals of Wimbledon earlier this summer. She demonstrated a very decisive tennis game to dispatch her young rival in a scant 53 minutes at Louis Armstrong Stadium.
The Ukrainian ladies, both born in Odesa, were both enthralled with the prospect of one of them advancing in to the second week of play.
Svitolina noted: “It’s always tricky because I think it’s different nerves. Each time you step on the court in a Grand Slam, everyone has nerves. But I think when you playing someone from the same country, and in our case from the same city, which is special, you have to handle it, you have to try to really be, I don’t know, just within yourself.”
Svitolina, coming off a quality win over five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams (and two-time U.S. Open winner), jumped out to the stronger start, winning the initial two games at love as Yastremska struggled to reign in her power game.
“She needs more experience in these kind of matches, so that’s why it happened my way today,” Svitolina said after the match.
The fifth-seed held off her younger opponent, engineering two break points and serving out the first set on her third chance.
Svitolina only gained strength in the second set, which took a little over 20 minutes, speeding through without permitting Yastremska either a game or break point, booking herself a slot in the fourth round. She struck for seven winners versus only 13 unforced errors with Yastremska ending with 36 unforced errors and 0 for 2 in break point chances.
“I feel good now. I’m enjoying playing on the court. Enjoying atmosphere maybe a little bit more. I have a little bit less pressure now. That’s maybe what’s changed. I’ve been playing on Armstrong as last year a lot, as well. That’s nice. I like that court. I think I haven’t lost a match on that court yet. I have a perfect record!”