Elina Svitolina's Emotional Wimbledon Victory Amid Ukraine Crisis

Cataleya

July 09, 2024 · 1 min read

Elina Svitolina's Emotional Wimbledon Victory Amid Ukraine Crisis
Other Sports | July 09, 2024
Elina Svitolina expressed the difficulty of playing amidst the attacks on Ukraine as she wore a black ribbon in solidarity. (Image: Sky Sports)

Elina Svitolina faced an emotional challenge during her Wimbledon fourth-round match amid devastating Russian strikes in Ukraine, wearing a black ribbon in solidarity with her homeland. Overcome with tears after defeating Wang Xinyu 6-2 6-1, Svitolina described the match as one of her toughest due to the mental anguish caused by the ongoing crisis in Ukraine.

She expressed gratitude for being able to compete despite the overwhelming news and emphasized the severity of the situation compared to her personal struggles on court. Elina Svitolina, a prominent figure in Ukrainian sports, acknowledged the difficulty in focusing on tennis amidst the tragic events unfolding in her country. She will face Elena Rybakina in the quarter-finals, striving to maintain awareness of Ukraine’s plight while pursuing success on the court.

Meanwhile, American Danielle Collins bid farewell to Wimbledon after a defeat to Barbora Krejcikova in her first fourth-round appearance. The 11th seed, playing her final season, lost 7-5 6-3 under the Court One roof. Krejcikova advanced to her first Wimbledon quarter-final, setting up a clash with Jelena Ostapenko, who defeated Yulia Putintseva 6-2 6-3 earlier on the same court.

In another match, fourth seed Elena Rybakina progressed as Anna Kalinskaya retired injured while trailing 6-3 3-0 on Centre Court. Rybakina, the highest remaining seed, is the sole former Wimbledon champion left in the women’s draw and will meet Svitolina in the next round.