Elina Svitolina advanced to the final of the WTA 1000 in Wuhan

Ukraine's top-ranked player, Elina Svitolina (6), advanced to the round of 16 at the WTA 1000 tournament in Wuhan after securing a hard-fought victory over "neutral" player Lyudmila Samsonova (43).

The second-round match took place on October 14 and lasted 2 hours and 12 minutes. The Ukrainian defeated her opponent 6–2, 5–7, 6–2.

Early in the match, Svitolina lost a game on her own serve without winning a single point. However, she quickly turned the situation around and took a 4–1 lead. Elina continued to play confidently and won the first set without much trouble, 6–2.

The Ukrainian tennis player also started the second set well, taking a 3–1 lead. It seemed that Svitolina was in control of the match, but later on, her unforced errors increased, and the momentum began to shift from one player to the other.

With the score at 5–4 on her serve, Svitolina had two match points but failed to convert them. Samsonova seized the opportunity and won the second set 7–5, tying the match.

In the decisive set, the Ukrainian regained the upper hand. Elina played effectively on the return and did not allow Samsonova to hold a single game on her own serve. The Russian tennis player managed to break serve twice, but that wasn’t enough to turn the match around. Svitolina won the set 6–2 and advanced to the next round.

In the second-round match of the Dongfeng · Voyah Wuhan Open, the Ukrainian player recorded four aces, committed seven double faults, and made nine breaks.

Samsonova recorded five aces, nine double faults, and six breaks.

Dongfeng · Voyah Wuhan Open — WTA 1000

• Venue: Wuhan, China.
• Surface: hard court.
• Prize money: $4,088,211.
• Match date: October 14.
• Round: Second round.
• Result: Elina Svitolina (Ukraine) — Lyudmila Samsonova — 6–2, 5–7, 6–2.

This was the second time the players had faced each other, and Svitolina won both head-to-head matches.

In the next round, the Ukrainian will face the winner of the match between American Katie Volynets (88) and China’s Guo Hanyu (240).

Svitolina is competing in Wuhan for the first time since 2019. Her best result at this tournament remains reaching the semifinals in 2014.

In addition, Svitolina needs to win one more match to secure her spot in the WTA Finals in Indian Wells, the statement notes.

As a reminder, Ukraine’s top-ranked player, Elina Svitolina, failed to advance to the semifinals of the WTA 1000 tournament in Beijing. In the quarterfinal match, the Ukrainian tennis player lost to China’s Zheng Qinwen in two sets.

As a reminder, Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina will improve her position in the WTA world rankings following the tournament in Beijing. This will be her best result in the last five years.

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