Svitolina Saves Match Points to Beat Paolini, Reaches French Open Quarterfinals

Photo : AFP

Elina Svitolina showed great courage and determination as she came back from almost losing to beat last year’s runner-up Jasmine Paolini. The match was full of excitement and lasted three sets, with Svitolina winning 4-6, 7-6(6), 6-1 to reach the French Open quarter-finals.

Svitolina faced a tough fight, especially in the second set where she saved three match points. Her strong focus helped her push through and win the deciding set. She will now play against either Elena Rybakina, the 12th seed, or the defending champion Iga Swiatek in the quarter-finals.

After the match, Svitolina, who is 30 years old, shared her feelings, saying, “I still can’t believe I won this match. It was a big battle and my mind is still on it. Jasmine played really well and it was tough. I’m happy I stayed calm and fought until the very end. Now, I’m ready for the next round.”

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She added, “I had to be aggressive and stick to my plan. I took small chances to win the second set. It came down to one or two points, and I’m glad I won. In the third set, I played well to finish the match.”

The match started with Paolini, who is the fourth seed, winning the first set. Both players exchanged breaks, but Paolini managed to hold her serve strongly in the ninth game, finishing the set with a powerful forehand.

In the second set, Paolini took an early 3-1 lead. But Svitolina fought back hard on Court Philippe Chatrier. She recovered two breaks of serve and saved two match points to bring the score to 5-5, then forced a tiebreak.

Paolini tried to fight back after falling behind 4-1 in the tiebreak. She even had a match point, but Svitolina stayed strong, won the tiebreak, and celebrated with cheers from the crowd.

In the final set, Svitolina quickly gained the upper hand, winning four games in a row. Paolini won one game, but Svitolina finished the match with a strong backhand winner. This victory sends her into the Roland Garros quarter-finals for the fifth time in her career.