Australian Open 2025, Elina Svitolina stuns Jasmine Paolini: Key stats
What's the story
Elina Svitolina, the 28th seed at the Australian Open, has made it to the tournament's second week. This is her fifth time reaching this stage in Melbourne.
In a thrilling match on Saturday, Svitolina defeated fourth-seeded Jasmine Paolini with a scoreline of 2-6, 6-4, 6-0.
The victory was especially significant as it mirrored her husband Gael Monfils's earlier triumph against ATP No. 4 seed Taylor Fritz on Margaret Court Arena.
Victory significance
Svitolina's 1st top 5 win since Wimbledon 2023
Svitolina's win over Paolini marks her first Top 5 victory since she beat Iga Swiatek at Wimbledon in 2023.
The Ukrainian tennis star admitted she drew inspiration from her husband's earlier success.
Despite a difficult start, Svitolina turned the tables on Paolini and clinched a decisive victory.
She credited her fighting spirit for the comeback, drawing parallels with Ukraine's resilience amid ongoing conflict after Russia's invasion in 2022.
Match details
Svitolina's journey to victory
Despite taking an early lead by breaking Paolini for 2-1, Svitolina struggled in the first set, landing only 41% of her first serves and committing 13 unforced errors.
The match turned in the second set with a few all-court exchanges. Svitolina got an early break and held for 3-1, using her forehand down the line as a trusty weapon.
She dominated the final set with 13 winners against just three unforced errors, converting all her break points into clean winners.
Health challenges
Svitolina's comeback after injury and surgery
Notably, Svitolina, a mother of one, had to withdraw from her fourth-round match against Linda Noskova at last year's Australian Open due to a back injury.
She also underwent foot surgery after the US Open, ending her season prematurely.
The match against Paolini was Svitolina's first tournament since her foot surgery.
Despite the health challenges, she has displayed remarkable resilience and determination in returning to competitive tennis.
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A unique feat attained by Svitolina
As per Opta, for only the second time in her career, Svitolina has registered a set with a 6-0 score line against a top-5 in her career after defeating Simona Halep at Rome in 2018 (6-0, 6-4).
Details
Match stats and career Slam numbers of Svitolina
Svitolina served 7 aces compared to none from Paolini. However, the former committed more double faults (5-3).
She also converted 5/11 break points and owned an 83% win on the 1st serve. She had a 43% win on the 2nd serve.
Svitolina owns a 101-43 win-loss record at Grand Slams, including 28-11 at AO.
Upcoming match
Svitolina to face Kudermetova in Australian Open quarterfinals
Svitolina will now face Veronika Kudermetova for a spot in the Australian Open quarter-finals.
Kudermetova, the former No. 9 seed, beat No. 15 seed Beatriz Haddad Maia 6-4, 6-2 to make it to the second week of a major for the third time and first in Melbourne.
This will be their first meeting on court, making the upcoming match unpredictable.