Elina Svitolina edges Victoria Azarenka in dramatic three setter at Wimbledon.

Elina Svitolina celebrates her fourth round win against Victoria Azarenka at the Championships Wimbledon.

Elina Svitolina played a dramatic match to the brink, coming out victorious at the Championships Wimbledon Sunday. The Ukrainian played 217 points with Victoria Azarenka that went three sets, with the wildcard winning 2-6, 6-4, 7-6(9) on No. 1 Court at the All England Tennis Club. The comeback that Svitolina achieved from 0-2 down put her in a brilliant placement.

The two met five times, with each result going to the former world number one. The match marked their first on grass, and the way both players performed meant a challenge to the brink. Svitolina handled business against Sofia Kenin, holding the American in straight sets. It came a day after she sped through a 6-1, 1-6, 6-1 result against Elise Mertens. Azarenka won both of her previous matches in straight sets, hoping to keep up the streak and make the second week. In a battle of tennis moms, two of the WTA’s popular athletes would swing big for a place in the last eight.

Svitolina had a positive start to her service game, serving Azarenka to love. The 19th seed came out strong as well, giving the Ukrainian a point before leveling the score. Azarenka got a breakpoint in place but couldn’t lock it down. A second chance came for the 33-year-old, achieving the break for the lead. Azarenka attempted to consolidate, but her opponent had other plans to break back. They went to deuce to settle the matter, playing five breaks until Azarenka took a 3-1 lead.

The 19th seed captured the double break, getting herself in a dominant position to control the set. She backed up the action on serve, completing a terrific game point that went 26 shots. Azarenka played for the set, but Svitolina dug in to deny her an easy way out of the set. The 33-year-old served for the set, playing her strategy at the net, that continued to be a success. Reaching two set points, Azarenka kept up the hard service shots that gave her the victory in 41 minutes.

Both had a low percentage from the second serve, but the four double faults that Azarenka committed did not take away from her dominance. She came into the second, adding a break, then backed it up for the two-game lead. Svitolina came charging back, holding the third and breaking Azarenka back to level the score. The Ukrainian found her push to gain the lead from the 33-year-old, backing up the break to hold serve again.

The 19th seed stopped the momentum of her opponent, capturing an important service in the sixth. Svitolina returned to control the set and challenged the former world number one on serve in the eighth. The two played five breaks where Azarenka stopped four breakpoint attempts by the Ukrainian to even up at four-all. Svitolina put together a solid stance on serve in the ninth, pushing hard when Azarenka got on serve.

Though she lost a breakpoint chance for the set, another came after three breaks to give her a chance in the decider. It was an hour-long effort from the Ukrainian, who had things going well from her end of the court. She started the third set, drawing errors from Azarenka, who watched Svitolina win it on an ace. The 28-year-old took a surprising 3-0 run against Azarenka, sitting a break up.

Azarenka stopped her slide in the fourth on a serve to love, then broke Svitolina on an ending with the ball bouncing on the net three times. She got it back across the net to sit a game down after five. Azarenka evened the score on serve in the sixth to consolidate, but Svitolina responded on a serve to love to set out front again. By the eighth, both players remained leveled, but Svitolina remained the strongest, scoring another serve to love.

She put the 33-year-old under pressure on serve to extend the match. Svitolina tried to bring her game near the net, but errors gave Azarenka free points. An error negated a serve to love for the 19th seed, but she held to force the Ukrainian deeper. Svitolina answered to lead 6-5, forcing her opponent to determine her path. The players traded points, with Azarenka reaching a game point in the 11th. A bad crosscourt from Svitolina pushed the two into a tiebreak that would go to 10 points.

It remained a tight contest as eight points split between the two. Azarenka won the next three straight, sitting closer to the goal at hand. Svitolina struck back for two points, then played a long point rally to make it seven-all. Svitolina gained the lead but watched the 33-year-old answer to keep it even. Svitolina played another long point rally to take a 9-8 lead for match point. A nine-shot rally made it nine-all for Azarenka, who had a better position on the court to dictate.

For the tenth point, they went 15 shots until a long return from Azarenka gave Svitolina another match point. The 28-year-old took the victory after 2 hours and 46 minutes, scoring an ace to clinch her spot in the quarterfinal.