Anna Bondar upsets Elina Svitolina in US Open first rounder

Anna Bondar in action at the US Open against Elina Svitolina

Anna Bondar finished strong to upset the competition at the US Open Monday night. The Hungarian came in unseeded against 12th seed Elina Svitolina, who was a mess from start to finish losing 6-2, 6-4 on Grandstand Court at the Billy Jean King National Tennis Center. It was the first time Svitolina suffered a first-round loss in New York since 2014.

This marked the third match in grand slams this season between the two players. The Ukrainian came into New York prepped to go despite recent losses. Svitolina made the quarterfinal or better in six WTA 1000 tournaments this season, ready to do so again. She won 10 matches in the previous majors combined, holding Bondar in straight sets each time. The Hungarian lacked victories in her preparations for the Open, and taking on the Ukrainian left her needing all she had inside to force the world number 15 into trouble.

Svitolina opened scoring with ease, followed by Bondar, who struggled on her side of the court. She got the game to deuce, managing to hold serve. The Ukrainian rallied to a second service hold, while Bondar lacked early consistency. Double faults from Svitolina racked up, leading her to drop a game to the Hungarian.

Bondar gained momentum, taking a 4-2 lead on the 12th seed. Svitolina remained frustrated with her forehand shots not making their mark, as the seventh game went to deuce. It was there that the unseeded Hungarian broke Svitolina to widen the gap to three. Bondar was rolling smoothly, taking command of her service in the eighth to reach set point. A long rally on the second point gave the Ukrainian life, but took it in 48 minutes. It was the fifth game in a row won by the 28-year-old, who impressed many, while others were stunned by Svitolina’s lack of performance. 21 errors in the set were a lot for the former world number three, who left the court during the set break.

She returned in a purple outfit, hoping the comfort would allow her to regain momentum on her end. Little changed in her focus to get dug in to her offense, handing Bondar her sixth win in a row. The Hungarian rallied to consolidate the serve, marking her seventh win against Svitolina, despite the length of time it took to get it. The third game finally went the Ukrainian’s way, ending the long slide that earned cheers from grandstand.

Bondar made it 3-1 despite the long exchanges of points that continued to occur. Svitolina’s miscues added another victory to Bondar’s bottom line, sitting two games from a match win. The Hungarian consolidated once more to sit at 5-1, with Svitolina serving to stay in it. The double faults continued to haunt her game, leading the game to deuce. She hung by her fingertips to come through the service and survive another game.

Svitolina charged forward to capture a third win in the set, breaking Bondar reaching match point on serve. The 12th seed clinched another service game, feeling things click, helping her get within reach of tying the set. Her efforts were cut short as Bondar got focused and served out the Ukrainian, who smashed her racket in anger, blowing a potential comeback. It was a 1-hour and 41-minute upset for the unseeded Hungarian, who celebrated her stunning win over Svitolina to make it into the second round.