Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina wiped away tears after her victory at Wimbledon on Monday following news of a Russian missile attack in her home country.
She beat Wang Xinyu 6-2, 6-1 to reach the quarterfinals in London, England.
“It’s a very difficult day today for Ukrainian people,” she said. “So yes, it was not easy to focus today on the match. Since the morning, it’s very difficult to read the news.”
A major Russian missile attack across Ukraine killed dozens and injured more than 150 people, officials said. One missile hit a large children’s hospital in the capital of Kyiv.
Svitolina, who reached the semifinals twice at the All England Club, including last year, wore a black ribbon on her white shirt during the match.
“Thank you for your support,” she told the Wimbledon crowd.
Svitolina will play 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina in the quarterfinals.
Rybakina, the No. 4 seed, advanced earlier Monday when Anna Kalinskaya retired in the second set because of an injury. Rybakina was leading 6-3, 3-0 when the 17th-seeded Kalinskaya stopped playing. Kalinskaya had taken a medical timeout in the first set, with attention paid to her neck and right forearm.
Rybakina has now won 18 of 20 matches in her career at the All England Club to join Ann Jones and Steffi Graf as the only players in the Open Era to have a 90 per cent win rate in women’s singles at Wimbledon.
Fernandez eliminated in doubles
Canada’s Leylah Fernandez and partner Ena Shibahara of Japan are out of Wimbledon after losing in the women’s doubles third round.
The pair fell 6-2, 7-6 (3) to fourth-seeded duo Taylor Townsend of the United States and Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic.
Fernandez and Shibahara trailed 6-2, 3-2 before play was suspended Sunday.
Townsend and Siniakova went 3-for-4 on breakpoint opportunities and won 79 points to 61 for their opponents.
Later Monday, Ottawa’s Gabriela Dabrowski and partner Harri Heliovaara of Finland lost 6-4, 6-4 in a second-round mixed doubles match against the New Zealand duo of Erin Routliffe and Michael Venus.
Dabrowski, the lone Canadian left at Wimbledon, remains in the tournament as Routliffe’s partner in women’s doubles. The second-seeded pair is scheduled to take on Elena-Gabriela Ruse of Romania and Marta Kostyuk on Tuesday.
Dabrowski, the lone Canadian left at Wimbledon, plays with Routliffe in women’s doubles. The second-seeded pair is scheduled to take on Elena-Gabriela Ruse of Romania and Marta Kostyuk on Tuesday.
WATCH | Denis Shapovalov bounced in 5-set marathon match:
Denis Shapovalov of Richmond Hill, Ont., could not outlast the 14th-seeded American Ben Shelton in his third-round match at Wimbledon.
Musetti makes it 3 Italians in quarterfinals
Lorenzo Musetti just needed a little time to adjust.
To life and to 6-foot-8 Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard’s serve.
Musetti advanced to the first Grand Slam quarterfinals of his career at Wimbledon by beating the 21-year-old Frenchman 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-2.
Musetti joins No. 1 Jannik Sinner and women’s No. 7 Jasmine Paolini in collectively making Italian history: it’s the first time three Italians have reached the quarterfinals at the same Grand Slam.
Musetti will next face either No. 4 Alexander Zverev or No. 13 Taylor Fritz.
No. 9 Alex de Minaur reached his first Wimbledon quarterfinal by eliminating 20-year-old Arthur Fils of France 6-2, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3.
The 25-year-old Australian will next face either seven-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic or No. 15 Holger Rune.
Source Agencies
