Elina Svitolina produced a high-class display to beat Venus Williams 6-4 6-4 in the second round of the 2019 US Open.
The Ukrainian, 24, struggled with a knee injury earlier in the season. But she found her form at Wimbledon, where she reached her first Grand Slam semi-final.
Svitolina won a few matches in the US Open Series leading up to the final major of the year. She then comfortably dispatched a debutant – American teenager Whitney Osuigwe – 6-1 7-5 in the first round.
These encounters clearly served the Ukrainian well because she made an excellent start against Venus. She struck the ball superbly broke and showcased all of her athletic ability as she skilfully manoeuvred her opponent around the court.
This enabled Svitolina to break twice in the first seven games and charge into a 5-2 lead, leaving the veteran American looking shell-shocked.
However, the 39-year-old drew on all her years of experience to coax the Ukrainian into a series of errors and get one of the breaks back.
Svitolina re-focused in game nine. She dragged Venus all over the court to earn three break points. The American saved them all, but the Ukrainian made no mistake when she served for the set at 5-4.
The first was a very physical affair, but the second set took it up a notch. Venus put everything she had into the first three games and won them all.
However, Svitolina never panicked. She raised her game and made full use of her youth and superior fitness levels to win five games in a row and turn the set around completely.
Venus makes Svitolina dig deep for victory
Against most players, that might have been game over. But Venus is a seven-time Grand Slam champion and she knows how to keep a match going.
From 5-3 down, the American fought for everything. She saved five match points during a pulsating ninth game which she eventually won after more than 15 minutes.
When she was serving for the match, Svitolina hit a brilliant backhand into the corner to earn a sixth chance to clinch victory. This time, Venus could not save it. She hit a forehand long to confirm the Ukrainian’s triumph.
“It was a really incredible match,” Svitolina said in her on-court interview. “That was one of the best atmospheres I’ve played in. It was really special, and it really pushed me to raise my level.”
When she was asked about the marathon game, the Ukrainian said, “I was expecting that Venus would raise her level. She’s a very experienced player so she knows how to handle moments like this. I was expecting a very tough match and we could see in the end it was incredibly tough and only a few moments decided it.”
Pliskova glides through to round three
While Svitolina was forced to work hard in the Louis Armstrong Stadium, Karolina Pliskova enjoyed a stress-free encounter on the same court earlier in the day.
The Czech, who is approaching the end of her most consistent year on the WTA tour, took out World No.202 Mariam Bolkvadze 6-1 6-4 in just 68 minutes.
Pliskova did not have to do anything remarkable to win the first set. She served well to give herself a good foundation. Then she put the ball into difficult positions for Bolkvadze during return games and watched as the errors from the Georgian mounted up.
These patterns enabled the Czech to break the Georgian in the fourth game to move 3-1 ahead. She then sealed another break in the sixth game with a laser-like cross-court backhand that the World No.202 found impossible to deal with. Pliskova finished off the set with a love hold. It only took 22 minutes.
Bolkvadze made the World No.3 work harder in the second set. She responded to going a break down by breaking back immediately with the help of superb backhand winner.
However, it proved to be a false dawn for the Georgian. Pliskova battled her way to another break in game five and never looked back after. She rapidly wrapped up the second set 6-4 to seal her place in the third round.
