Elina Svitolina is in great shape in this Australian Open. On Saturday, the Ukrainian brought down the world No. 4 Jasmine Paolini. This Monday, Svitolina confirmed and perfectly controlled the Russian Veronika Kudermetova75th in the world, 6-4, 6-1. Superior, the 27th in the world took advantage of her opponent’s 27 unforced errors to control the proceedings and claim a quarter. She will play her third quarter in Australia, the first since 2019. She did not wait long to go support Gaël Monfils against Ben Shelton. “Svitto” will turn from Tuesday to its quarter-final duel against Madison Keys.
Video – Elina Svitolina in the quarters of the Australian Open
Find the men’s draw for the Australian Open here
Find the women’s draw for the Australian Open here
“It’s also finding a glimmer of hope, a small victory for the Ukrainians”
“As I mentioned in a previous interview, this fighting spirit that drives me is entirely Ukrainian, a spirit that I try to display and represent equally“, recalled Svitolinain a press conference, after her victory against the Russian. “Especially today, in these very difficult days for Ukraine – almost three years have passed since the start of the war, and this is a heavy burden on the backs of all Ukrainians. For me, “Finding a way to win these matches also means finding a glimmer of hope, a small victory for the Ukrainians. I feel very responsible for that, so accepting every fight is the least I can do.”
“People sometimes forget that we are still at war”
She then continued. “As a top Ukrainian athlete, I think we need to use our platforms to remind people what is happening. I must use my voice as much as possible to raise awareness and funds to address the multiple challenges facing our people. I think people sometimes forget that we are still at war, that we need help, so for me it is very important to show resilience, to show that we will continue to fight no matter what, to represent this spirit.“
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“Now is when the tournament really begins”
And if the couple Svitolina / Monfils won the tournament. A dream? “To be honest, this moment is still far away, I don’t like to talk about it too much because there are still a lot of matches to play.” replied Svitolina. “Now is when the tournament really begins, because the matches become much more difficult, because you have to face the best, the ones who really know how to handle these moments because they have been there many times. I feel like I have to concentrate and work, not think otherwise, but I believe I can do it. For me, winning a Grand Slam has always been a goal, but we are still far from that.”
