Gael Monfils produced the early tournament theatrics, delivering a late night, five-set classic in the opening round against Sebastien Baez. Since then, however, the French Open has belonged to the other half of one of tennis’ preeminent power couples, Elina Svitolina Monfils.
After her husband outlasted Baez and subsequently withdrew on account of a left wrist injury, Svitolina has picked up right where she left off. The unseeded Ukrainian knocked off No. 26 seed Martina Trevisan, Storm Sanders and Anna Blinkova before shocking No. 9 Daria Kasatkina to secure a spot in her first Grand Slam quarterfinal since the 2020 French Open.
Svitolina’s run to the final eight in the women’s singles draw is impressive simply by virtue of her unseeded status. What makes her journey remarkable is the fact that the former world No. 3 happens to be playing her first Major since giving birth to her daughter, Skaï, last October. The 28-year-old entered the tournament as one of four moms in the singles draw (Victoria Azarenka, Taylor Townsend, and Tatjana Maria are the others) and continues to thrive after the other three all fell in Round 1.
Despite playing a number of tune-up events leading into Roland Garros, including a title victory in Strasbourg, Svitolina’s ranking lingered just inside the Top 200 at the start of the tournament. Needless to say, that promises to increase significantly regardless of how things progress as she looks to return to the top of the women’s game.
Making the tournament even more emotional for Svitolina has been her politically-muddled path to the quarterfinals. An outspoken objector to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, she has made headlines for coming up against two Russian opponents. While she declined to shake Anna Blinkova’s hand after their second round encounter, she warmly greeted Kasatkina, a vocal critic of the war, after their match.
On Tuesday, she will face No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka, a Belarusian who has already made headlines at the tournament for being faced with questions of her own regarding the war. Handshake or not, Elina Svitolina will look to continue a run that has been inspirational for both moms and fellow Ukrainians alike.
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
