Elina Svitolina may have come into this French Open low in confidence, but she looked extremely impressive. She beat Venus Williams 6-3 6-3 to end a poor run of form. The Ukrainian didn’t particularly get off to a great start, but raised her level when it mattered the most. The seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams could never really get herself going, and is yet to end her disappointing run of results.
First set
Both players struggled out of the starting blocks. They held in their first service games, but neither could take advantage of any opportunities to take a lead, which meant they exchanged five breaks of serve in a row. This was due to the fact that both ladies were hitting some brilliant returns but couldn’t land any big serves. Finally, Svitolina managed to consolidate a break to take a 5-3 lead. Venus may be known for her serve, but she particularly struggled in this set, only holding once to lose it 6-3.
Second set
Williams battled to resist Svitolina’s run of games and broke her serve in the first game. However, once again she gifted the break back to the Ukrainian the very next game. The American kept going to Svitolina’s backhand, which was a mistake as it is her stronger side, but finally changed it up to get another break. She faced two more break points, but finally held serve to lead 3-1. The World #9 had problems with her forehand, but remained consistent with her backhand to conjure up another break. From 1-3 down, Svitolina turned the set around by winning five games in a row, winning it 6-3.
Up next, Svitolina will face fellow Ukrainian Kateryna Kozlova. Svitolina appears to be in great form now and is looking to have a good run over the following weeks, despite a recent injury.
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