Svitolina’s Extra Motivation Leads to Victory at US Open

“I was just trying to get a little motivation from him,” explained Elina Svitolina in the winner’s interview after her 5: 7, 6.4, 6: 4 win against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.

“I knew he was going to play on the second pitch and that gave me a little extra motivation because I wasn’t showing my best performance at the time. I had to muster a different energy and I just thought about him a little bit.” continued the 29-year-old.

So, in the middle of the second set, Svitolina, with a smile on her face, asked the chair umpire whether her husband’s match against Andrey Rublev had already started.

But Monfils’ match against the Russian hadn’t started yet, so the referee could only give her that information.

Svitolina: Extra motivation pays off

The extra motivation that the world number 26. expected from the information seemed to bear fruit.

After Svitolina lost the first set 5:7, she fought back in the second set and was able to turn the match around. The Ukrainian won the last two sets 6:4, 6:4 and advanced to the third round.

Above all, the aggressive style of play in sets two and three ensured that Svitolina stole the show from her opponent more and more.

Svitolina fordert Pegula

“I tried to be a bit more aggressive. I’m not the youngest anymore, so I had to hit a little harder and run less,” Svitolina said was the key to success in New York.

Local hero Jessica Pegula (No. 3), who beat Patricia Maria Tig 6:3, 6:1 in the previous round, is now waiting for the Ukrainian in the third round.

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2023-09-01 17:50:00
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