Elina Svitolina claws out of trouble late against Renata Zarzua at the French Open

Elina Svitolina in action during her second round match at the French Open Wednesday 

Elina Svitolina got out of a bunch of trouble at the French Open but managed to find control near the finish line. Renata Zaruzua took control of the match at one point, putting the third seed in serious trouble. Recovering fast, the Ukrainian won in three sets 6-3, 0-6, 6-2 on Philippe Chatrier Court at Roland Garros. 

This was a big meeting for the Mexican in the second round, facing a top-five ranked player for the first time in her career. After her win over French teenager Elsa Jacquemot, Zaruzua earned her first slam match win but faced her biggest challenge ever. Svitolina had a tough time coming out smoothly in her match with Rome going wrong for her. The dictation she found in the first round gave her another shot at doing the same against the birthday girl who would feel the nerves from the first ball toss. The Mexican won the shot at serving to the Ukrainian but easily fell into her trap, giving her breakpoints. Zaruzua saved two but couldn’t keep her back. Svitolina held firm in the second and broke the 22-year old for a terrific 3-0 start over the rookie. It was quickly 4-0 for the third seed but on serve in the fifth, Zaruzua pulled together enough focus to end the shutout and get on the board with a service hold. 

It was suddenly a match as the Mexican moved better to produce a break of the third seed, cutting the margin in half. Zaruzua consolidated a third win as she battled her service game against the Ukrainian who was on the ropes. She battled to deuce but couldn’t stop the surge that the 23-year-old produced. Putting the stress behind her, the third seed rallied to move her lead to 5-3, with Zaruzua playing to stay in the set. Unable to control with strong returns, Svitolina took the 1-0 lead in 36 minutes. She only had seven winners and unforced errors but a strong first-serve percentage. 

None of her good qualities opened the second set as Svitolina produced plenty of free points to Zaruzua. She battled back to force deuce, but she found herself in the wrong place at the wrong time, blowing her hold of serve. A game to love handed Zaruzua a 2-0 hold on the Ukrainian who probably didn’t expect to be running behind, having won two of the last seven games. The 23-year-old was up 3-0 on the third seed, who had nothing to show for it since her 4 game run early in the match. Tactics from Zaruzua continued to pay well, consolidating the double break with a second hold of the set. 

Needing a win under her belt, Svitolina fought hard to get her to serve under control. Forcing deuce in the fifth, the Ukrainian tried to get a leg up on Zaruzua but gave her time to place well on the court and be the dictator of the game. After five break-point chances, the 23-year-old watched as a ball from Svitolina landed wide of the line to sit five games down. On serve to force a decider, Zaruzua let Svitolina make her own errors that brought up set point. 

Running well for the ball near the net, the Mexican completed the shutout with a return winner. It was a 29-minute rally that pushed them to a set that wasn’t expected but in the books. Svitolina’s serve took a beating with the first serve winning 31 percent and 36 percent from the second. With 16 unforced errors and two winners, the third seed knew that more needed to be done to avoid the upset. 

She opened the third with an important hold of serve, following it up with a break of Zaruzua in the second. The Mexican broke back in the third, getting on the board with Svitolina struggling with the second serve. A hold from the Mexican consolidated the break to level the score at two-all, allowing Svitolina a point in the fourth. 

The Ukrainian wasn’t out of it by a longshot, as she proved with a hold in the fifth and tactics that produced a break to lead 4-2. Hitting the ball more accurately sent frustrations into Zaruzua who watched the third seed regain focus and ease her game through. Svitolina locked down the seventh with a crosscourt shot that came back into the net for the birthday girl who served to keep the match alive. 

Errors rattled the Mexican who gave Svitolina a double match point, bringing her tournament to a halt with a return on a winner go wide ending the match in 1 hour and 35 minutes. “I think I was just trying to get back into the match,” said Svitolina to Marion Bartoli after the match. “I just lost a little bit of the way and was making too many errors and she was quite solid from the baseline. For me, it was important to stay focused and try to come back and still keep aggressive.”