Ukrainian Elina Svitolina delivered one of the biggest surprises at Wimbledon this year when she upset No. 1 seed Iga Swiatek on Tuesday, 7-5, 6-7 (5), 6-2.
Svitolina initially received a wild-card entry for the tournament and has been moving through her opponents. She beat Venus Williams, Elise Mertens, Sofia Kenin and Victoria Azarenka before getting to the Polish tennis star Swiatek.
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Svitolina only returned to the tennis court three months ago as her home country dealt with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. She’s playing with a heavy heart with her mind on her family back home and her daughter, Skai, who was born in October.
“War made me stronger and also made me mentally stronger. Mentally, I don’t take difficult situations as, like, a disaster, you know? There are worse things in life. I’m just more calmer,” Svitolina said.
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“Also, because I just started to play again, I have different pressures. Of course, I want to win. I have this motivation, like huge motivation, to come back to the top. But I think having a child — and war — made me a different person. I look at the things a bit differently.”
Swiatek was coming off a French Open victory last month before Tuesday’s loss.
Svitolina, who was ranked as high as No. 3 before taking time off from the sport, is set to play Marketa Vondrousova in the semifinals on Thursday. She came into the tournament unseeded.
She previously reached the semifinals in 2019 before losing to Simona Halep.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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