US Open 2021 - Elina Svitolina downs former world number one Simona Halep to reach US Open quarter-finals
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Updated 05/09/2021 at 17:40 GMT
Ukranian number five seed Elina Svitolina may now consider herself one of the favourites for the 2021 US Open after she reached the quarter-finals on Sunday afternoon. Against former world number one Simona Halep she was able to secure a 6-3 6-3 victory to make her way into the next round at Flushing Meadows.
Elina Svitolina - US Open 2021
Image credit: Getty Images
Elina Svitolina reached the quarter-finals of the US Open with a 6-3 6-3 win over Simona Halep on Sunday afternoon.
Svitolina was able to win the first set as Halep struggled to win points on both serves, and her second serve in particular, especially compared to the Ukrainian.
Halep was back in action after her third round win against Elena Rybakina, where she was pushed to three sets in a tough win for the Romanian.
Svitolina, meanwhile, also played her third round match on Friday but had an easier time of it against 25th seed Daria Kastkina, winning 6-4 6-2, meaning that she was perhaps the fresher of the two competitors on Sunday.
Svitolina’s advantage lay in her ability to press home her advantage when she had the chance to break the former world number one, as Halep could not make the most of her service game. Svitolina was able to win five of 12 break points on offer as she took the upper hand.
The 26-year-old's highest career ranking of third could be bettered if she continues in this form, and while she has never won a Grand Slam - the furthest she has ever gone at Flushing Meadows was the semi-finals two years ago - she is coming off the back of a bronze medal in Tokyo, and may fancy her chances as she moves into the quarter-finals in a depleted field shorn of some of its biggest names.
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