Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina wore a black ribbon during her win over Wang Xinyu at Wimbledon, in response to Russian missile strikes that hit multiple cities across Ukraine on Monday. Among the targets was Kyiv’s Okhmatdyt hospital, the country’s largest children’s medical center, resulting in over 30 deaths.
Emotional Win for Svitolina
After her impressive 6-2, 6-1 victory, Svitolina struggled to hold back tears during her on-court interview. The crowd on Court 2 offered a rousing round of applause as she tried to compose herself.
“It was a good performance from my side today and it’s a very difficult day today for Ukrainian people,” Svitolina said, fighting back tears. “It was not easy to focus on the match today and since the morning it’s very difficult to read the news and just to go onto the court is extremely tough, so I’m happy that I could play today and get a win. Thank you for the support.”
Dominant Performance
As the No. 21 seed, Svitolina dominated Wang, needing just 55 minutes to secure her place in the quarterfinals. Last year’s Wimbledon semifinalist, Svitolina hit 21 winners, including eight aces, and made just 10 unforced errors. She converted four of her six break point chances and will now face 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina for a place in the semifinals.
Rybakina’s Challenge
Rybakina, the No. 4 seed, advanced to the quarterfinals after her opponent Anna Kalinskaya retired in the second set due to a wrist injury. This sets up a crucial match between Svitolina and Rybakina on Wednesday.
Tragic News from Ukraine
On Monday, at least 36 people were killed in Russian attacks across Ukraine. Kyiv’s Okhmatdyt hospital, which supports some of the country’s sickest children, was among the targets. According to Kyiv’s mayor Vitaliy Klytchko, two adults were killed and 16 others, including seven children, were injured in the attack. Overall, 137 people were wounded and nearly 100 buildings damaged.
Motivation Amidst Tragedy
Svitolina shared that using her platform at Wimbledon to raise awareness of the war in Ukraine “really motivated” her during Monday’s match. In her post-match press conference, she expressed her struggle with the emotional weight of the day’s events.
“It’s [an] incredibly sad day today for all Ukrainians,” Svitolina said. “It was really difficult for me to really be here in a way and do anything. I just wanted to be in my room, just be there with my emotions, with everything.”
“When you have these sad days where you don’t want to do anything, it was this kind of day for me. It’s difficult really to explain, I guess, because of course for us Ukrainians, it’s very close to our heart and [a] very sensitive topic, very sensitive emotions that we feel every single day.”
Bringing Light in Dark Times
Despite the challenges, Svitolina noted the positive impact of her win. She received numerous messages of support and said the victory was a “small light that brought a happy moment for Ukrainian people.”(Superace88)