Elina Svitolina completed a huge comeback in her Doha opener to beat Marketa Vondrousova 0-6 6-2 7-5 and avoid a third consecutive defeat.
In a rematch of the 2023 Wimbledon semifinal, the Czech absolutely dominated the first set as she didn’t allow the Ukrainian a single game or break point.
But after standing absolutely no chance in the opener, Svitolina managed to avoid going down by a break in the second set after saving two break points in the fifth game.
Then, the former world No. 3 claimed her first breaks in the sixth and eighth games to clinch the second set and send the match into a decider.
Early in the third set, there wasn’t much consistency as the Vondrousova earned a break in the first game – the Ukrainian responded by winning the next three games for a 3-1 lead – but then the Czech instantly got the break back in the fifth game.
A couple of games later, Svitolina failed to convert her first match point in the 10th game but broke the 2023 Wimbledon winner in the 12th game to complete her comeback win.
This was their first meeting since the Czech won their 2023 Wimbledon semifinal in two sets.
Before Doha, the Ukrainian lost to Madison Keys in the Australian Open quarterfinal and was also upset by Anna Blinkova in the Linz first round.
Svitolina plays next against No. 6 seed Jessica Pegula
In the Doha second round, the world No. 22 will face another tough as she plays against 2024 US Open finalist Pegula, who had a first-round bye.
Meanwhile, Svitolina is now 5-2 this year.
So far, it has been a positive comeback for the 30-year-old, who had foot surgery in September and also addressed her back injury.
“When the surgery happened in September, I had the real time to really rest,” the former world No. 3 said in Melbourne.
“To do different procedures for my back, have meetings with the doctors, and really try to take care of it.
“Also, I took some time to strengthen all the parts that I had to because the season is very long.
“Sometimes you don’t have this time to really stop and invest in your body.”
Tennis World USA