Elina Svitolina of Ukraine clenches her fist during round one of the Olympic Tennis Singles tournament at Roland Garros.
Elina Svitolina put on a display for not only herself but also her country at the Olympic Games on Sunday. The Ukrainian smashed Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima in straight sets 6-2, 6-1 on Court 14 to advance on the grounds of Roland Garros. Svitolina got into a groove in her first-round match, producing a ten-game winning streak before tasting victory.
The Japanese star earned the honor of having a challenging opening round against the only defending medalist of the sport from Tokyo. The Ukrainian stood as heavily favored to repeat, especially after her fourth-round finish in the French Open last month. Svitolina has many years of experience on clay courts in Paris and would be able to take her place back on the world stage.
Uchijima jumped on Svitolina’s service, but the Ukrainian battled back to force deuce, pressing the Japanese player to err for the win. The 22-year-old held her service in the second and achieved the break off Svitolina’s forehand returns smacking into the net. Svitolina fought through the points in their fourth game, until a break chance on deuce handed her the break back.
She notched a superb service in the fifth before scoring the double break off Uchijima in the sixth game. Svitolina’s experience kicked in, taking momentum away from her opponent and producing a strong output in her game. The Ukrainian marched on with her fourth win in a row, leaving Uchijima to figure out how to strike back. Svitolina didn’t give her time, rushing to two set points, earning the set win on a backhand from Uchijima into the net.
It was a 32-minute run for the players, with Uchijima faring well on first-serve shots, but committing two double faults. Svitolina’s second serve was the difference maker, scoring 7 of 11 points. She won four of six from the net and only made seven errors, compared to Uchijima’s ten.
They went into the second, with Svitolina getting back to work on serve. She notched her sixth game win in a row, forcing errors from Uchijima. By the third game, her streak reached eight, leaving the 22-year-old very little chance of responding. For the second time in the match, Svitolina had the double break, leading 4-0 against Uchijima, who saw defeat on the horizon.
The Ukrainian had ten games won before playing for the match against the 22-year-old, who tried to avoid the bagel. She surprised many, with a serve to love in the sixth, ending Svitolina’s streak. She brushed off the loss and coasted through her service for the match, ending it on a smash near the net for the straight sets victory that took one hour and two minutes.
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