Svitolina survives Barty test

Published by Matt Trollope

Elina Svitolina has equalled her best ever showing at Wimbledon by reaching the second round, where she;ll face Francesca Schiavone; Getty Images
It was circled on the schedule as having upset potential, billed as a banana-skin match. Yet No.4 seed Elina Svitolina passed the Ash Barty test with flying colours.

Considered to have been dealt perhaps the roughest draw among the top seeds, Elina Svitolina nonetheless survived a scare to progress to the second round at Wimbledon on Monday.

Australian grasscourt whiz Ash Barty served for the opening set and saved five match points, yet the fourth seed remained steady to close out a 7-5 7-6(8) win in just under two hours.

This match had been pegged as a potential upset in the women’s draw; Svitolina came in under an injury cloud – having struggled with a heel injury in an early loss in Birmingham – on her least-preferred surface.

Barty, meanwhile, had been one of the form players of the grass season, reaching the quarters in Nottingham and the final in Birmingham as well as reaching the Birmingham and Eastbourne doubles finals with Casey Dellacqua, winning the former.

Yet while Barty produced 22 winners, she sprayed more than 40 errors – compared with Svitolina’s 23.

RELATED: Svitolina latest under injury cloud

“I think I was ready for the match. Of course, I needed to produce a high level because she was playing amazing in Birmingham and was really confident on grass,” said Svitolina, who reached the second round – her best showing at Wimbledon – for the third year running.

“She won in juniors like very confident here, as well. And I remember that because she was so young and always plays well here. That’s why I knew that if I’m going to go out there and play my best level … I can play really good and can be a better player on court.

“Of course it was a big thing for me, big motivation to win, because lots of people are saying, Oh, you know, very tough draw for Svitolina. Now they can, Shhh (smiling).

“For me, it’s a big win and big step forward on the grass.”

SMASHTALK: Who is on upset alert at Wimbledon?

The match began according to the form guide. Barty broke early and although Svitolina broke straight back to level scores at 2-2, Barty broke again and opened up a 4-2 lead.

Yet from 5-3, the momentum started to change. Barty became error-prone and when serving for the set at 5-4, she played her worst game of the match to that point, missing groundstrokes and surrendering serve with a double fault.

Svitolina would reel off five straight games to take the first set and the lead in the second, yet Barty had her chances in the third and fifth games, earning a collective six break points across the two – she led 0-40 in the fifth game – only to let Svitolina off the hook.

After a brief rain delay the fourth seed broke to move ahead 4-2; her stellar movement, nullified somewhat on grass, was nonetheless an advantage and often forced the young Aussie to go for too much.

“Elina is a quality player, a quality mover,” Barty said.

“I hadn’t hit on the main courts yet. They are a bit different to the courts we have been playing on. After four or five games, I adjusted. It was a little bit different.

“I think for me I just pressed a little bit too much and just tried to overplay when I probably didn’t need to.”

Barty did recover the break and the set progressed to a tiebreak, only for her game to become mired yet again in errors.

Svitolina arrived at 6-3 and earned three match points but Barty rallied, discovering consistency yet still going for her shots and erasing all three.

Yet she was always playing catch up.

Two more match points came and went – the fifth saved when Barty clocked an off-forehand winner to level scores at 8-8 – but Svitolina never faced a set point.

And when she scored a sixth opportunity, she converted when Barty committed her 41st unforced error.

Svitolina next takes on Italian veteran Francesca Schiavone.

“My heel is okay. Let’s say this: It’s not perfect, but painkillers are working. I can say that (smiling). I will see. If I can walk tomorrow, then it will be a good sign,” Svitolina said.

“I decided to do it and to play here and to just to go on court and leave everything what I have and then see how it goes.”

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