Svitolina wins second round over Boserup in straight sets

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Elina Svitolina was in fine form against her struggling opponent at the Australian Open Wednesday. The experienced Ukrainian overwhelmed Julia Boserup to a straight sets victory 6-4, 6-1 at Margaret Court Arena on the grounds of Melbourne Park. The victory gave the 13^th seed her third consecutive advance into the third round showing consistency in her quest for greatness

Both never faced one another in action coming into the second round with strong victories in the opening round. The American did well against Italian Francesca Schiavone winning in straight sets. Svitolina also did well taking down Galina Voskoboeva allowing the Russian just two games in the match. The world number 13 carries plenty of momentum in her hopes of coasting through Boserup who has a good run on hard courts. While the tournament remains young, the 25-year-old has every opportunity of gaining an upset while she remained in the competition.

She did well getting her win on serve to start the set followed by a challenge to the Ukrainian in the second. The two played briefly on deuce but it was the world number 13 holding on against the American. They began to break one another in the next pair of games with Svitolina putting in effort while Boserup made a statement to score three break points. The Ukrainian went for a second consecutive break but Boserup forced deuce on serve. Svitolina easily reached game point where the next rally ended with a wide shot from the American going down 2-3.

A good hold for the 13^th seed gave her a sizable gap on the competition making it hers to dictate onward. Boserup attempted to get within a game of Svitolina and return to a competitive pace. The Ukrainian regained the edge taking it for the second break and a 5-2 hold serving for the set. Boserup broke to stay alive in the set gaining the 40-30 lead to steal one from the high ranked tennis star.

When back on serve, the American pressed Svitolina hard in the ninth to take the win and make Svitolina do everything to close the set out. That was exactly what she did on serve in the tenth shutting down Boserup with a love service hold completing the set in 41 minutes. Svitolina had four aces but struggles on the first serve winning half of her point attempts. The second serve was slightly better while having troubles on the return.

She made the second set a means of improvement and began with a break of serve on Boserup hoping to play both sides of her game stronger. Boserup challenged to a degree going four breaks deep with the Ukrainian to level up. The breaks continued with Svitolina keeping the pace that she wanted nothing more than to run away with.

A service hold in the fourth was key to getting it started as she came back on a forehand error by Boserup and allowed her to get the lead and never look back. Svitolina consolidated with a break that gave her a big three-game margin. The Ukrainian took off with another hold of serve that saw her press out to two game points before capping the sixth game with a winner. Boserup sat on a much more dangerous edge of being outdone worse in the second set.

She made Svitolina go quiet with winners away from the 13^th seed until the unforced errors worked against her. It brought Svitolina to deuce with the American making it clear that free points would not fly for the 22-year-old. Boserup double faulted giving Svitolina match point but saved it on the next short rally.  A fifth ace gave Svitolina a second chance where she got it done on a line drive ending the match in 1 hour and 17 minutes.

“I’m very happy that I won’t today,” Svitolina said to Ian Cullen during her on-court interview. “I didn’t play my best but I was fighting and trying to find my game and at the end, it was getting better and better and really happy that I won.” When asked if her game was starting to come together, the 22-year-old had positive answers. “I try to improve each day,” she said. “I try something new, something different all the time and with the help of my team its gonna work in the end.”

She will try to see the end in terms of a title facing Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the third round that will truly test whether or not she has what it takes to make the coveted round of 16 on Saturday. She has only won once against the Russian but at this level, more would need to be done.