MELBOURNE: No. 28 seed Ukrainian Elina Svitolina reached the Australian Open quarterfinals for the first time in six years with a 6-4, 6-1 fourth-round victory over Veronika Kudermetova in Rod Laver Arena on Monday.
Former World No. 3 Svitolina, building on her achievement as the first Ukrainian player in history to claim 100 Grand Slam match wins, is into her 12th career Grand Slam quarterfinal.
In the quarterfinals, Svitolina will face the winner of the upcoming fourth-round match between No. 6 seed Elena Rybakina and No. 19 seed Madison Keys.
Her Slam successes have not dwindled since her return from maternity leave in 2023 either -- this is her fourth Slam quarterfinal since she gave birth to daughter Skai in 2022.
Svitolina reached back-to-back Australian Open quarterfinals in 2018 and 2019. Last year, Svitolina came into the Australian Open in strong form but was forced to retire from her fourth-round match against Linda Noskova after just three games due to a back injury.
She would struggle with various physical issues throughout the season, which she cut short after the US Open to undergo foot surgery. This is the first tournament following that procedure.
Svitolina faced a tough start, as Kudermetova, a former World No. 9, hit big and surged to a 4-1 lead with a double-break advantage. However, Svitolina regained her composure to win five consecutive games and take the one-set lead.
Svitolina took complete control in the second set, breaking for a 3-1 lead with a perfect volley, and cruised to an 83-minute victory from that point.