Elina Svitolina, who recently gave birth, upset no. 1 seeded Iga Swiatek Thursday in a stunning Wimbledon match.
Svitolina advanced to the Wimbledon semi-finals with a gutsy 7-5, 6-7 (5), 6-2 victory on Centre Court. Svitolina recently returned to the women’s tour in April after giving birth to her daughter in October, according to ESPN. Svitolina, currently ranked no. 76 in the world, was a wildcard in this year’s tournament. (RELATED TO: Crowd Boos Anti-Oil Protesters Disrupting Wimbledon)
Svitolina initially struggled with her serve early in the match, falling behind 5-3 in the first set. The Ukrainian tennis star managed to pull herself together, subsequently dominating the rest of the set, per ESPN.
How will Elina Svitolina begin her #Wimbledon semi-final preparations?
“A beer” 😂🍻 pic.twitter.com/vY7QR1xUvN
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) July 11, 2023
Swiatek made some adjustments and stormed back to win the second set with a thrilling 6-7 victory. Svitolina botched a backhand on the tie-breaker, handing the set to the Swiatek.
In the final set, Svitolina jumped to a 2-1 lead before cruising the rest of the way and securing her place in the Wimbledon semi-finals. The win snaps Swiatek’s 14-match winning streak, according to ESPN.
The Ukrainian sensation seemed to react in disbelief during her post-match interview.
“First of all, I’m going to have a beer, probably,” Svitolina said.
“At the beginning of the tournament, if someone would tell me that I will be in the semifinal and beating world No. 1, I would just say that they’re crazy.”
Svitolina will now face Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic in the semi-final round. The Czech tennis player currently sits at no. 42 in the world rankings, according to the WTA Tour.
“I’m just going to enjoy tonight and then get some treatment, get some massage, much needed and then just regroup and be ready for the next big battle,” Svitolina said.