Elina Svitolina edges Laura Siegemund in three sets at Tokyo 2020

Elina Svitolina from Ukraine serves during her opening round match with Laura Siegemund of Germany at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. 

Elina Svitolina of Ukraine had a lot to deal with in her opening round match at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics Sunday. The fourth seed went the distance with Germany’s Laura Siegemund, who forced three sets to be played, losing a close one 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 on Court 1 at the Ariake Tennis Park. 

The two met once back in 2016 with the Ukrainian handling the German in straight sets. This marked Svitolina’s second Olympic appearance in tennis and Siegemund’s first. With experience getting deep into the tournament, the 26-year-old eyed capturing a second win over the German while ending a slump in her game. The world number six struggled in two grand slams and two warm-ups before Wimbledon. With the need to shine on the world stage, Svitolina needed her best to come out against the opposition. 

She and Siegemund tested the waters with one another by forcing deuce with the Ukrainian. They played two breaks where a failed attempt from the German allowed Svitolina to hold serve. She scored a break in the second jumping ahead on the fifth point, but blew her chance for a 3-0 lead. Siegemund hoped to change the tide and consolidate the break with a hold. The Ukrainian notched the double break, but saw herself giving one up as well. 

Despite the loss, she added another for the triple and managed a hold in the seventh to lead 5-2. Siegemund scored a shutout in the eighth, but the damage had been done by the fourth seed, who opened the ninth with three set points. She let two get away, but held onto the one that counted and gave her the first set in 46 minutes. 

The second set saw Siegemund rush through her service game before putting the brakes on Svitolina. It was in the second that the two got into a fight for control with the game going to deuce. Six breaks were played, with Svitolina saving four breakpoint attempts from the German. After much hard work, she got out of a jam and got the notion that the set was going to be a competitive one. 

Siegemund stayed in the lead through seven games with the Ukrainian following closely behind. It was in the eighth that the German made a serious push that gave her a 5-3 lead and a break. Svitolina responded by breaking her back and consolidating it with a hold in the tenth. The German remained strong and took the 11^th after overcoming a 0-40 position and winning it on the first break. With plenty of fight still left, she went on to rack in a break of the Ukrainian to force a third set after 1 hour and 18 minutes. 

Svitolina knew that she couldn’t let Siegemund continue to dictate the match on her terms. After a short break, she turned things up by taking the German for a ride that she had no control over. After three games, it was the 26-year-old well out front right before Siegemund called for the trainer about her lower back. After being taken care of, play resumed with Svitolina serving in the fourth. 

Siegemund came out with a much needed break that got her on the board. Consolidating was an accomplishment the fourth seed didn’t want her to possess. With the break back, Svitolina went for a hold in the sixth and kept Siegemund to a point on her way to a 5-1 stand. The German served to stay alive in the match with a serve to love, but the balls were in the hand of Svitolina, who had a shot to end it. A miscue at the net, a double fault and two good returns from Siegemund only extended the match for the 33-year-old. 

She gained another win on serve, hoping that she could achieve a double break while her opponent struggled. On serve in the tenth, it was Svitolina fighting for control of her serve which came through for her in the late stages of the game that watched her win a place in the second round on Siegemund’s error into the net. It was the 48^th made by the German while Svitolina came close behind with 41. It was a battle that saw both of them struggle to dig in against one another. With the German behind her, Svitolina would try to work out the kinks before her next battle on Tuesday.