Swiatek stamps out Svitolina in straight sets at DDF Tennis Championships

Iga Swiatek readies herself for a smash during the third round of the Dubai Duty-Free Tennis Championships. 

Iga Swiatek marched to victory and a quarterfinal spot at the Dubai Duty-Free Tennis Championships on Wednesday. Elina Svitolina didn’t have the tools to overpower the number one seed, who took it in straight sets 6-1, 6-4 on center court at the Dubai Tennis Stadium. It was the 24th win of 25 matches played for the world number one, gaining a second win over the top Ukrainian.

The two met for the second time last year in a thrilling quarterfinal at Wimbledon. It was there on the grass courts that Svitolina took down the world number one to make it as far as the semifinals. Since her return from a back injury suffered at the Australian Open this season, the Ukrainian performed well in her first two matches in Dubai to face her younger foe. Swiatek managed to straight sets win against Sloane Stephens, but not before being broken three games in a row. The Pole converted one of ten break points in the second set before her 6-4, 6-4 win. It marked three years since Swiatek beat the Ukrainian, hoping to keep her winning ways in check.

The top seed opened the scoring, struggling to hold serve against the Ukrainian. Svitolina answered with a serve to love in the second and continued her attack to achieve a break on Swiatek. The Pole held the third game and sent a message to the 15th seed, breaking in the fourth. The 22-year-old backed up the work against the Ukrainian, making it 4-1 to her end. The Ukrainian didn’t struggle on serve, but returning against Swiatek proved challenging.

It resulted in a double break for the number one seed, who served for the set in the seventh. She played aggressively to bring up a set point on serve, watching Svitolina return it into the net ending 28 minutes of play. Swiatek had seven winners and six unforced errors, but the lack of points won by the 15th seed made the scoring look the way it did.

Svitolina knew she needed a strong start to the second set, getting a 40-0 stance in front of Swiatek. Unfortunately, it didn’t result in a serve to love and instead went to deuce on errors from Svitolina and big returns from the top seed. They went to deuce twice before Swiatek took a seventh straight game. With the break in hand, the Polish star tied in the hold of serve to sit up eight straight. Svitolina managed to end her slide offensively and hold serve in the third, but it was an uphill battle to force a decider.

Svitolina countered in the fourth, scoring a big lead to hold Swiatek to a point. The Ukrainian fired well on serve in the fifth but her forehand erred during critical moments. It left the top seed to reclaim the lead on deuce and try to return to run away with the set. Svitolina raised her level of offense, getting a jump on the scoreboard in the sixth. Swiatek turned the tables to surge back on serve and double her lead in the set.

Svitolina dug deep on serve in the seventh, keeping her hopes alive with the victory. She converted the break, leveling the score with Swiatek as they entered the business end of the set. The 22-year-old captured the break back, scoring four unanswered to Svitolina before serving for the match. Svitolina battled to bring up a break point, but Swiatek countered to force deuce and reach match point. 

On the eighth point played, the Polish star won the match on an ace attempt that turned into a short rally before Svitolina long-balled it for the error. It took 83 minutes for Swiatek to get into the last eight, where she would face Anastasia Potapova or Qinwen Zhang on Thursday.

Svitolina scores place in third round of DDF Tennis Championships

Elina Svitolina enjoyed the victory she earned at the Dubai Duty-Free Tennis Championships on Tuesday. The 15th seed managed her service game to fend off Tatjana Maria in straight sets 6-3, 6-3 on Court Three at the Dubai Tennis Stadium. It was the first time in five years the Ukrainian earned consecutive matches at the tournament.

The two met for the fourth time, the first in six years dating back to the US Open. The Ukrainian returned to Dubai ready to take on the challenges, forced to a second-set tiebreak against Anhelina Kalinina. Her experience got her out of going the distance against her compatriot while brushing off the rust from her back injury. The German struggled to put wins together as pairs or better. Facing top 20 players she won just once since September of last year, giving Svitolina a chance to win back-to-back matches in the tournament since 2019.

Elina opened the service in the second round, giving Maria a point before holding the service. The 36-year-old followed along, establishing her offense against the 15th seed. Svitolina coasted through the third, with Maria right behind her holding on. The fifth game was the first to see the competition end, with Maria trying to force deuce. Svitolina won the critical point to deny the German that chance and remain on serve.

The Ukrainian took advantage of a window of opportunity when Maria suffered a double fault after landing an ace. Svitolina charged forward to gain the break and lead 4-2, backing up the service on errors from the German. Maria got back on track in the seventh, containing the serve to deny Svitolina the set. The 29-year-old got it done on serve in the ninth, scoring an ace along the way to taking the set in 28 minutes on a long ball return from Maria. The two had strong first-serve output, but the second-serve of Maria’s struggled to produce.

She put that aside and got into a battle in the second set, fighting off a break from Svitolina. Maria forced deuce on serve, but the 15th seed got a grip of the AD point to take the win away. The German made her pay for the change in action on the court, breaking back in the second. Svitolina chose to stick to the pace and attain a double break in response. The 15th seed got her offense back in check, tying a service hold with the double break in the fourth.

Maria also returned to holding serve in the match, cutting Svitolina off from forcing deuce. Control remained with the 15th seed after six games, where she held to double the margin against the German. Maria was under threat in the seventh, denying the Ukrainian an early chance to break. On deuce, the 36-year-old fended off four breaks before clinching the service. She rallied to a pair of break points on Svitolina’s serve, only to see the Ukrainian recover all of them. It was a tug of war for the AD point until Svitolina fired an ace to make it 5-3 and play for the match.

Svitolina finished strong, gaining two break points for the match, and ended with one remaining. A battle on one end of the court finished with Maria returning wide to end the match in 1 hour and 12 minutes. The Ukrainian’s serve was well-rounded from start to finish, earning a place in the third round where she’ll await the winner between Sloane Stephens and world number one Iga Swiatek.

 

Svitolina returns to Dubai a winner at the DDF Tennis Championships

Elina Svitolina readied the backhand during her opening round at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

Elina Svitolina battled through a tough match to emerge victorious at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on Monday night. Anhelina Kalinina gave the 15th seed a run for her money in the latter stages of the second set, pushing her to a tiebreak before ultimately falling 6-3, 7-6(7) on center court at the Dubai Tennis Stadium.

Svitolina, a former world number three, suffered a setback last month in Australia when she injured her back in the fourth round of the Australian Open. But after battling back to fitness, the 29-year-old returned to Dubai, hoping to get back into a comfortable position. Kalinina, Svitolina's compatriot, had not won consecutive matches this season and faced a tough challenge in facing the experienced 15th seed. Kalinina began the match by taking a point off Svitolina's service game, but the 15th seed battled back and established herself near the net to score a break and take control of the match. Svitolina then held serve to love in the third before Kalinina fought back to hold her own serve in the fourth. However, Svitolina stepped up her game and nailed three straight aces in the fifth to assert her dominance. Despite Kalinina's valiant efforts, Svitolina coasted to victory in the first set, winning in 33 minutes and producing a good momentum. The number one Ukrainian had 14 winners and scored 94 percent from the first serve, while her opponent had 14 errors and a lower serve percentage overall. Kalinina remained firm on serve in the second set, but Svitolina anticipated flawlessly during points and held serve in the second game. Kalinina made a statement on serve in the third, blanking Svitolina in response. She then got a jump on Svitolina's service in the fourth, forcing the seeded star to turn the table and hold. Despite Kalinina's efforts to force a decider, Svitolina raised her level of gameplay higher than her opponent, celebrating big points in the sixth. Kalinina remained locked on holding serve, forcing the top Ukrainian to either even the score or fall behind. The 27-year-old almost shut out Svitolina in the ninth but ultimately held to threaten her opponent with a third set. Svitolina fought back from a 15-40 deficit and saved two set points off Kalinina in the tenth before holding to dive deep into the set. Although Kalinina had a chance to shut out Svitolina, she could not capitalize and took a pivotal 6-5 lead to add pressure. Svitolina handled the pressure well, fighting back to set up the tiebreak. In the tiebreak, Svitolina took an early lead, but Kalinina leveled the score and stayed with her through six points. Critical mistakes allowed Kalinina to take a 5-3 lead until two long returns made it five-all. Svitolina then brought up match point, but a return into the net kept Kalinina in the action. The two players continued to trade points until Svitolina finally won on a five-shot rally, tapping the ball in front of Kalinina to win in a hard-fought 1 hour and 40 minutes.

"It was a tough one to play," said Svitolina during her on court interview. "Its always tough to play someone from the same country and I'm just happy to finish in two sets because obviously, I dont want to play a third set." She'll see the competition hold its pace facing Tatijana Maria of Germany in the second round Tuesday.

Victoria Azarenka takes another from Jelena Ostapenko in straight sets

Victoria Azarenka clenches her fist after a point played during the third round of the Qatar TotalEnergies Open. 

Jelena Ostapenko had a dismal start that she couldn’t pull out of at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open Wednesday night. The Latvian was blanked by Victoria Azarenka and fought back in the second to lose 6-0, 6-3 on center court at the Khalifa International Tennis Complex. It notched the fifth win for the former world number one against Ostapenko to enter Thursday’s quarterfinal.

The WTA’s hottest rivalry this season made its third match-up between the eighth seed and the former world number one. For Azarenka, she managed to win at Brisbane and Melbourne and is still undefeated against the Latvian. On Tuesday, both Azarenka and Ostapenko won their respective third rounds in straight sets. The 26-year-old committed a few unforced errors to ready herself for this situation, with a ten-match winning streak in hand.

The 34-year-old got off to a rousing start, taking Ostapenko on a run through her service, allowing two points in the game. She went on to break her due to three double faults from the Latvian. Azarenka sped through the third in a serve to love and nine minutes elapsed. A second service game didn’t go the way of the Latvian, who committed another two double faults, allowing the world number 31 to make it 4-0 to her name.

Feeling the comfort of a large lead, Azarenka coasted through her serve in the fifth, drawing easy errors from Ostapenko. Double faults continued to rattle her offense and with unforced errors, the fight at deuce was brutal for the 26-year-old. Screams at the end of points were positive to start, but after seven times at deuce, Azarenka was the one celebrating the set win after 28 minutes. Ostapenko had seven double faults and a second serve percentage below 10 percent. The Latvian added up 23 unforced errors in the set, knowing that it was going to be an uphill climb.

Azarenka faced a challenge from the Latvian to begin the second set, taking the competition to deuce for the second time in the match. Azarenka saved three breakpoints in the game before winning it on third. Ostapenko managed to build up a service hold in the second, gaining cheers from the crowd. While she held for the first time, the eighth seed didn’t take anything from Azarenka’s who cruised through the third. Ostapenko brought winners into the mix, containing the service to remain level.

The fifth game was a battle for Azarenka, who lost the chance to lose it out at 40-30. Ostapenko produced breakpoints twice but after the fifth deuce, the win went to Azarenka. The eighth seed took a medical timeout off the court before returning to action. She held for the third time, making it an even output of service holds through six games. Azarenka marked her fourth service game, holding off Ostapenko from a late push to deuce.

She took the challenge to the Latvian, who had double faults in her game and fell to a break in the eighth. The 34-year-old served for the match but fell behind the scoring. She scored the next three straight to watch match point go into the net from Ostapenko and end the night in 1 hour and 28 minutes.

“She tried everything to get back into the match,” Azarenka said about her opponent. “There was evidence of that, but I’m happy that I was able to hold my serves, and I think that was important to keep that pressure from that first set, and I was able to close it out.” Standing in her way was world number one Iga Swiatek, whom she faced at the US Open four years ago.

“Iga’s been improving so much,” Azarenka said about her next challenge. “She’s been playing incredible, so it’s going to be a great challenge and I’m looking forward to seeing how my game matches up to her and try my best for sure.”

Jelena Ostapenko flies through Anhelina Kalinina at Qatar Open

Jelena Ostepanko celebrates her opening round of the Qatar TotalEnergies Open.

Jelena Ostapenko coasted to victory after a strong performance at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open Tuesday night. The eighth seed won her 14th match of 16 played taking down Anhelina Kalinina 6-0, 6-3 on Grandstand 1 Court at the Khalifa International Tennis Complex. The Latvian had 30 winners, six aces, and 12 unforced errors to make the third round.

The Latvian faced the Ukrainian for a fourth time and the first since 2022 when she won both matches. Ostapenko carried a 13-2 record on the WTA tour, coming off her seventh WTA title at Linz. The 26-year-old didn’t know when to quit as her stamina proved stronger than anyone on the tour. Having been a champion and finalist in the past, she’ll try to avoid going out early like she did two years ago. Getting Kalinina was a break for the slam champion, but her opponent’s win over Emma Raducanu on Monday stood out. With one big name off the draw, the Ukrainian would go for broke and try to make it two in a row.

Ostapenko got a terrific start from the baseline, holding the Ukrainian from making any threats to her service game. The eighth seed wiggled away on the last point of the second, breaking Kalinina to back it up on serve for a 3-0 run. The 27-year-old double-faulted for a second time, opening the door for Ostapenko to dictate. She put a bow on the fourth game, driving a return down the tramline, widening her lead in the set.

The Latvian battled briefly with Kalinina in the fifth at deuce. A winner in the open court on the first AD point handed Ostapenko another victory. The Ukrainian struggled with the serve, making it easy for the eighth seed to smack the returns hard. It was two set point chances for Ostapenko, who didn’t do much to earn the win after 22 minutes, watching Kalinina err the serve into the net. The Latvian had double the success from the 1st serve than her opponent, who served 38 percent. With a low output and 16 winners from the eighth seed, it had been a one-woman show in the first.

An ace was the first score Ostapenko put up to start the second, stretching the Ukrainian to crack under the pressure.  When it came time for Kalinina to serve, she improved with an 80 percent service output, assisting in her snapping the seven-game slide. It didn’t take anything away from Ostapenko, who served Kalinina to love in the third. The eighth seed backed things up with a break, scoring easy on return winners.

A surprise came in the fifth when the Ukrainian battled to deuce and captured the break over Ostapenko, putting her a game behind. She managed to level the score, getting the best of the Latvian once more to back up the break. Despite the slip-up, Ostapenko reeled her service game in and got back on track, regaining the lead. The Latvian scored the break to serve for a place in the third round, taking very little time to get it done. She landed her sixth ace of the night, drew an error, lost a point, and landed a winner for a match point. Ostapenko forced a final error from Kalinina to end it all in 53 minutes.

For the third time this season, it was Ostapenko facing Victoria Azarenka in a hot matchup Wednesday.

Victoria Azarenka cruises to defeat Xinyu Wang at Qatar Open

Victoria Azarenka hitting a forehand shot during the second round of the Qatar TotalEnergies Open. 

Victoria Azarenka improved her game to handle the second round like a boss at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open on Tuesday. The 34-year-old battled through the talent of Xinyu Wang, holding her in straight sets 7-6(1), 6-2 on center court at the Khalifa International Tennis Complex. It marked her 193rd win in WTA 1000 events and a spot in the round of 16.

The former world number one didn’t have the greatest opening and instead struggled with numerous unforced errors to barely make it through the first round. She needed three against Magdalena Frech to get it done, and facing the Chinese star would be the same level of skill. The 22-year-old got the best of Beatriz Haddad Maia, who was tired from her run at Abu Dhabi days back. Given that she won so fast, Wang had plenty of gas in the tank to continue Azarenka’s early exits in Doha for a third time.

The two started the match holding serve, but more grip from Wang, who recorded several winners. After a two-all score, the 22-year-old jumped ahead and played through deuce tightly, watching her opponent make the mistakes to take the first break. Azarenka broke back in the sixth but suffered a double break of serve after the seventh. Wang had a tough service in the eighth, double-faulting twice and somehow forced deuce. Azarenka kept her deep and responded to a drop shot near the net to smack a winner for the win.

The 34-year-old ended the streak of four breaks of serve, backing up the double break she got on Wang to hold the ninth. She played for the set, only to see Wang recover her service tactics and hold to make it five-all. She added a break to lead after 11 and served for a chance to drop Azarenka a set down. The 34-year-old moved her opponent around during the rallies to deny her that chance and bring the tiebreak.

She forced errors from Wang twice to lead the way but suffered a long ball on the third point. Azarenka continued to force errors from the Chinese player, gaining her fourth that widened the gap. Back-to-back winners gave the former world number one so much breathing room to achieve a set point. On her second attempt, Wang was forced to play defensively and sent one wide to lose the first in 56 minutes. Azarenka was solid near the net, where she won seven of nine and three of four breakpoints, including the minibreaks in the tiebreak.

She built up the depth on court against Wang, scoring the early breaking, then fought to hold serve. Azarenka was all over the competition, forcing Wang to play extra balls and captured the double break. Leading 3-0, the 34-year-old backed up the effort to hold the fourth, inching closer to a shutout. Wang fought back the forced errors that Azarenka was pushing for in the fifth. Gaining control of serve in the fifth ended the scoreless streak in the set but the six-game run for Azarenka.

The 34-year-old battled in the sixth to get a fifth win under her belt, with Wang hitting the returns well. Despite forcing deuce, Azarenka waited patiently until an error from the 22-year-old got her out of a tough place and in a position to play for the match. Wang refused to let it happen on serve, making it a 5-2 score before calling out the trainer. The Chinese star had her foot tapped up before Azarenka cracked out a big serve to reach three match points. A shot went long, but her second attempt clinched it to end the match in 1 hour and 41 minutes.

“It was pretty fun to play against her,” Azarenka said about Wang. “She’s a great player, and also very young, so I’m sure she’ll improve her game.” “She definitely has a lot of power and can actually create some variety, which surprised me, but I think she developed a success she has had in doubles, and pretty fun to play against her.”

Azarenka awaits a potential face-off with Jelena Ostapenko for the third time this season but will have to defeat Anhelina Kalinina to make that possible on Thursday.

Victoria Azarenka fights to win opening round at Qatar Open

Victoria Azarenka celebrates a point during her opening round match at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open.

Victoria Azarenka worked out the kinks to get through the opening round of the Qatar Total Energies Open Monday night. The conditions from day to night caused problems for the former world number one against Magdalena Frech, who took it to the distance in a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 result on Centre Court at the Khalifa International Tennis Complex.

The 34-year-old took a break after the Australian Open to prepare for her eighth appearance in Doha, facing the Pole for the first time. The two-time champion comes to the Middle East comfortable as her success in the area gave her a chance to get on the right foot. Frech’s win over Caroline Garcia in Melbourne marked her first top-50 win. Getting one more facing Azarenka proved a tougher challenge against the hard hitting righthander.

The former world number one opened scoring on serve and the two remained that way through three games. Frech faced a break late in the fourth for Azarenka to capture a two-game lead on her second chance, taking one from the 26-year-old. The wind picked up during the fifth, making it tough for Azarenka to serve it just right. Frech forced deuce and had a break chance, only to see it slip on the second deuce.

The 34-year-old made it 4-1 on serve, but couldn’t convert another break in the sixth. Frech’s offense was great, holding her opponent to a point on serve and playing well under the conditions. She dug in during the seventh game, forcing deuce from 30-40 down. She played five breaks with Azarenka until the win came into her hands. The margin fell to one for the 34-year-old, who blew her first service game of the match, opening the door for Frech to convert.

Azarenka traded points in the eighth, waiting for her time to strike late and take the break back. She put a bow on the first set, shutting Frech out while on serve to lead the match after 54 minutes. She had 12 winners but a hair more unforced errors pushed her to improve late and roll it into the second set.

It was there that she pulled tricks out of her bag, responding well on the returns. She almost broke her to love but despite a missed shot, didn’t allow her to climb back. Frech answered back, building up a few breakpoints, holding Azarenka to saving one. The 34-year-old worked the drop shots into her attack in the third, scoring the double break on Frech. She tied in a comfortable service hold in the fourth increasing the first serve percentage. The Polish star denied a double break from building together, earning points on mistakes from Azarenka’s return.

She turned the tables to break Azarenka in the sixth, evening up the score on beautiful winners. It took effort on the part of Frech to hold serve, battling Azarenka’s crosscourt shots and edging away enough to lead for the first time. She enjoyed the comfort of having good break opportunities against the former world number one, waiting for the right one to convert and lead 5-3.

The 26-year-old had every element of her game right where she wanted it, controlling the game on serve to come out on top. Winning her fifth game in a row against Azarenka allowed her to take the set and force a decider after 40 minutes. The second serve of Azarenka’s was beyond dismal and a major factor in her losing the chance to win in straight sets. Frech didn’t have many winners or unforced errors, but her offense was well-rounded to put her on the right path.

The two players put a lot of effort into the first game which lasted 11 minutes. Azarenka came out with the victory on serve, but her struggles continued to rattle. In the third game, the 34-year-old saw her opponent stand with a break in reach. She fought to turn things around and bring up deuce. Through four breaks, Frech produced three chances for herself, but couldn’t get it done. After five games, they remained on serve, with Azarenka upping the ante on her offense.

She achieved her second shutout of Frech in the match, hoping that it was the statement to turn the set in her favor. A break opportunity arrived and slipped away for the 34-year-old, who watched her opponent save breakpoints and level the score at three-all. The seventh was heavily contested, with Frech fighting to deuce and getting a breakpoint in position. Azarenka took the second break for the lead and went on to make Frech regret it. The 34-year-old dominated the eighth, holding the 26-year-old to a point on serve.

Serving for the match, Azarenka hit well on the forehand, positioned herself well for the returns, and earned match point on a long ball from Frech. She capped it with a winner to take the win after 2 hours and 35 minutes.