Barty, Svitolina advance at WTA Finals

Associated PressNov 2, 2019, 3:05 PM EDT

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SHENZHEN, China — Top-ranked Ashleigh Barty advanced Saturday to the final of the WTA Finals where she faces defending champion Elina Svitolina, a player she has never beaten in five previous attempts.

Barty, like Svitolina, dropped the opening set of her semifinal before beating second-ranked Karolina Pliskova of Czech Republic 4-6, 6-2, 6-3.

“I felt like the whole match was an incredibly high level,” Barty said. “I’m just pleased to get another chance to play out here.

“It’s a match I can come out and try to enjoy. I have nothing to lose. It’s an opportunity against a really tough player.”

Belinda Bencic retired in the third set as Svitolina outlasted the injured Swiss to win 5-7, 6-3, 4-1 and reach her second straight final at the WTA Finals.

“It’s still kind of like not realizing that I’m in the final,” Svitolina said, but added “it’s tough to play someone who has been injured.”

This has been a standout season for Barty, who won her first Grand Slam title at the French Open, and attained top ranking for the first time. Barty is Australia’s first female year-end No. 1.

Barty posted 11 aces to only one for Pliskova.

This marked the third consecutive year that Pliskova had advanced to the semifinals, but she’s yet to contest for the title in a final.

Bencic was already struggling before the end of the first set, which she won. Bencic later said it was a hamstring problem and cramping.

Svitolina had made it through the group stage without dropping a set. Winning the WTA Finals in Singapore last season remains the biggest title of her career.

After holding serve to lead 6-5 in the first set against Svitolina, Bencic received a medical timeout to have treatment during the changeover. Back on court, Bencic took the set on her third set point with a backhand down-the-line winner.

But the leg injury caused more problems for Bencic, allowing Svitolina to gain control of the match.

Bencic, who lost her serve in the first and ninth games of the second set, received further treatment when trailing 1-2 and 3-4 at the changeovers.

In the third set, Svitolina went ahead 3-0, and by 4-1 Bencic couldn’t continue.

Some players have remarked on the slowness of the court during the week. Bencic claimed the court hindered movement, although Svitolina appears to enjoy the surface.

“I really didn’t want to retire,” Bencic said. “I wanted to finish the match. It was not possible. I’m really disappointed about how my body failed me.

“Also, I think these courts are really not ideal.”

Naomi Osaka, the reigning Australian Open champion, withdrew ahead of her second round-robin match with a right shoulder injury.

Reigning U.S. Open champion Bianca Andreescu withdrew before her third round-robin match after injuring her knee in the previous match.

Jabeur bounces back at French Open, Ruud and Andreeva advance

Associated PressMay 30, 2023, 11:32 AM EDT

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PARIS — Ons Jabeur got a do-over on Court Philippe Chatrier at the French Open and won this time.

A year after her first-round exit, the No. 7 seed Jabeur beat Lucia Bronzetti 6-4, 6-1 to help erase some bad memories and answer questions about a recent calf injury.

The Tunisian, a crowd favorite in Paris, smiled and expressed relief in not repeating last year’s mistake, when she lost to Magda Linette of Poland.

“I’m very happy to win my first match on Philippe Chatrier – because I’ve never won here,” Jabeur said on court about the clay-court tournament’s main stadium.

Now she can focus on trying to win her first major. She was runner-up at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open last year.

The 28-year-old Jabeur has also battled injuries this season. She had knee surgery after the Australian Open, and was then sidelined with a calf injury. She had stopped playing against top-ranked Iga Swiatek at the clay-court tournament in Stuttgart, Germany, in late April and then pulled out of the Madrid Open.

“It was a very difficult period for me after Stuttgart,” said Jabeur, adding that she’s beginning to find her rhythm.

Jabeur struck 27 winner’s to Bronzetti’s seven, though with 24 unforced errors she’ll have room to improve.

Mirra Andreeva had a memorable Grand Slam debut by dominating Alison Riske-Amritraj 6-2, 6-1. Andreeva’s older sister – 18-year-old Erika – was facing Emma Navarro later in the day.

Later, Swiatek gets her French Open title defense started against Cristina Bucsa, who is ranked 70th.

On the men’s side, No. 4 seed Casper Ruud beat qualifier Elias Ymer 6-4, 6-3, 6-2, to remind the higher-profile tournament favorites that he was runner-up to Rafael Nadal last year at Roland Garros.

New mom Elina Svitolina beats seeded player at French Open in 1st Slam match in 16 months

Associated PressMay 30, 2023, 11:27 AM EDT

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PARIS — So much has changed for Elina Svitolina, who played – and won – her first Grand Slam match in nearly 1 1/2 years at the French Open, eliminating 2022 semifinalist Martina Trevisan 6-2, 6-2.

For one thing, she’s now a mother: Svitolina and her husband, French tennis player Gael Monfils, welcomed their daughter, Skaï, in October. For another, Svitolina is now ranked 192nd, nowhere near the career high of No. 3 she first reached in 2017, back in the days when she was regularly reaching the second weeks of major tournaments – including a pair of semifinal runs. Away from the courts, her home country of Ukraine was invaded by Russia last year, and the war continues.

“Everything,” she said, “is kind of old and new for me right now.”

In sum, Svitolina is juggling a lot nowadays.

She hadn’t played at a Slam since a third-round exit at the Australian Open in January 2022. She hadn’t played a match anywhere since March 2022, when she was still ranked 20th.

“It was always in my head … to come back, but I didn’t put any pressure on myself, because obviously with the war going on, with the pregnancy, you never know how complicated it will go,” the 28-year-old Svitolina said.

The work to return to the tour after giving birth began this January; her initial WTA match came at Charleston, South Carolina, in April. She won her first title since returning to action, at a smaller event on red clay in Strasbourg, France.

At Roland Garros, she used her big forehand to compile a 20-12 edge in winners and never faced a single break point against Trevisan, who was seeded 26th.

Trevisan cried as she spoke after the match about a problem with her right foot that made it difficult to even walk and prompted her to stop playing during her quarterfinal last week at the Morocco Open, where she was the defending champion.

Still, she gave Svitolina credit.

“Even though she’s just coming back from having a daughter, she’s a champion,” Trevisan said. “And she’s coming off a title, so she’s confident.”

Svitolina talked about feeling “awful when you’re pregnant, especially the last months,” but getting into a position now where she thinks she’s stronger than before – in more ways than one.

“I feel that I can handle the work that I do off the court and, match by match, I’m getting better. Also mentally, because mental (state) can influence your physicality, as well,” she said. “I tried to find the balance, and I feel like I’m seeing (things) a little bit again differently as well after the break. Everything is getting there. The puzzles are getting slowly into place.”