Elina Svitolina is making big strides in her pregnancy comeback, following up her last week’s Strasbourg title with a quarterfinal run at Roland Garros. The Ukrainian, currently ranked No.192, defeated Daria Kasatkina 6-4 7-6(5) in the fourth round, maintaining her undefeated record against the Russian in their seven career meetings.
With her husband Gael Monfils supporting her from the stands, Svitolina began her fourth-round match at the French Open with an impressive double break, taking a commanding 4-1 lead. Although Kasatkina managed to secure a break of her own, Svitolina maintained her advantage and ultimately won the first set.
The ninth-seeded Kasatkina, cheered on by her girlfriend Natalia Zabiiako, opened the second set with a promising 2-0 lead. However, Svitolina swiftly bounced back, winning three consecutive games to take a 3-2 lead. It seemed that Svitolina was heading towards victory, but Kasatkina managed to come back from a break down three times and force a tiebreak.
In a tense tiebreak, Svitolina narrowly prevailed over Kasatkina on her second match point. They didn’t shake hands after the match.
The new mother on the Tour showcased her confidence by securing another decisive break and ultimately emerged victorious against last year’s Roland Garros semifinalist, Daria Kasatkina. With this impressive win, Svitolina advanced to the quarterfinals in Paris for the fourth time in her career. Among all players, only American Madison Keys holds more victories against Kasatkina, with a total of eight wins.
Formerly sponsored by Nike, Svitolina is successfully promoting the Ukrainian apparel brand Paka during her time at the clay-court Grand Slam.
