Elina Svitolina

May 18, 2026 12:47 PM

Tennis-Svitolina fights off Gauff to win third Italian Open title

Elina Svitolina signalled her French Open ambitions by battling past world number four Coco Gauff 6-4 6-7(3) 6-2 in the Italian Open final on Saturday to lift her first claycourt title of the season ahead of Roland Garros. Svitolina twice battled from a break down to level a tight first set at 4-4, and the Ukrainian held on under huge pressure during exhausting rallies to get ahead in the ninth game with some powerful hitting. A couple of untimely double faults from Gauff's racket in the next ...

January 30, 2026 12:59 PM

WTA backs players calls for more off-court privacy at tournaments

The Women's Tennis Association (WTA) said that calls from players for more privacy away from the court at tournaments were entirely valid after broadcasts of Coco Gauff smashing her racket following her quarter-final defeat at the Australian Open sparked intense debate. Gauff looked for a place without cameras to channel her frustrations shortly after losing to Elina Svitolina on Tuesday and was unhappy to learn that video of her striking her racket repeatedly on the floor near the match call a...

January 30, 2026 12:57 PM

Australian Open: Elina Svitolina keeps sadness at bay after Sabalenka semi-final defeat

Elina Svitolina said she would not permit herself to be sad following her Australian Open semi-final loss to Aryna Sabalenka, adding that she was lucky to be playing tennis while people are suffering in her Ukraine homeland. Svitolina bowed out of her first semi-final at Melbourne Park with a 6-2 6-3 defeat to top-seeded Belarusian Sabalenka in a match overshadowed by geopolitical tensions. Russian and Belarusian players have been banned from representing their nations at Grand Slams and tour ...

January 30, 2026 11:16 AM

Australian Open: Aryna Sabalenka says hindrance call against her helped in semi-final win

Aryna Sabalenka said losing a point for hindrance after grunting in a rally helped fire her up on the way to an emphatic Australian Open semi-final win over Elina Svitolina. World number one Sabalenka beat Svitolina 6-2 6-3 to reach her fourth successive Australian Open final but she was infuriated at 2-1 in the first set when Swede Louise Azemar Engzell awarded the point to Svitolina mid-rally. Remonstrating with Engzell, Sabalenka was told she had made two noises after a shot, with the secon...

January 30, 2026 10:03 AM

Supreme Sabalenka and Rybakina set up Australian Open final showdown

Aryna Sabalenka swept to her fourth successive Australian Open final with a 6-2 6-3 victory over Ukrainian Elina Svitolina on Thursday in a semi-final overshadowed by geopolitical tension and will play familiar rival Elena Rybakina next. Rybakina set up a blockbuster rematch of the 2023 final at Melbourne Park by overcoming American Jessica Pegula 6-3 7-6(7), as the Russian-born Kazakh ramped up her own hunt for a second major title following her 2022 Wimbledon triumph. Top-seeded Belarusian S...

January 28, 2026 4:42 PM

Aryna Sabalenka and Elina Svitolina set for politically-charged Australian Open semi-final

Aryna Sabalenka will aim to take a huge stride towards a third Australian Open title in four years when the Belarusian top seed clashes with Ukraine's Elina Svitolina on Thursday in a semi-final simmering with geopolitical tension. Both players will navigate the political sensitivities that have cast a shadow over their meetings on the tour since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, for which Belarus has been a staging ground, and there will be no customary handshakes at the net. The war has ...