Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina has reached the last 16 of the WTA 1000 tournament in Beijing. In the third round, she defeated Greece’s Maria Sakkari in straight sets, 6-4, 7-5.
This was reported by Suspilne Sport.
In the first set, Svitolina saved several break points on her own serve. The key moment came in the ninth game, when the Ukrainian earned three break points and converted her advantage before serving out the set, 6-4.
The decisive moment in the second set came in the 11th game. Svitolina broke Sakkari’s serve to love, then held her own serve in the following game to close out the match, 7-5.
It was Svitolina’s fourth victory over Sakkari in six head-to-head meetings and her third in a row.
The Ukrainian has reached the last 16 of the WTA 1000 tournament in Beijing for the fourth time in her career. She previously made it to this stage in 2016, 2017 and 2019, advancing to at least the quarterfinals on each occasion. Her best result in Beijing remains a semifinal appearance in 2017.
This season, Svitolina will compete for her fifth WTA 1000 quarterfinal. Her best result of the year is the title in Rome.
In the last 16, the Ukrainian will face American Ann Li, who defeated Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic in straight sets in the third round. Svitolina and Li have met once before, at Roland Garros in 2021, when the Ukrainian won.
