“I Want to Achieve More”: Elina Svitolina Reaches Second WTA 1000 Indian Wells Semifinal After Seven-Year Gap

Ukrainian tennis star Elina Svitolina reached the semifinals of the WTA 1000 tournament in Indian Wells after securing a win over Poland's Iga Świątek in three sets, as reported by Suspilne Sport on March 13.

Svitolina, who advanced to the quarterfinals following Czech player Kateřina Siniaková's withdrawal, faced Świątek for the sixth time in their careers. Prior to this match, Svitolina had won only one of their previous encounters, which took place at Wimbledon in 2023.

In the quarterfinal match at Indian Wells, Svitolina started strong, dominating the first set 6-2. Świątek responded by claiming the second set 6-4, but the decisive third set saw Svitolina seal the victory, according to Suspilne Sport. After a crucial break in the ninth game, Svitolina closed out the match with a 6-4 win, securing her spot in the semifinals.

This marks Svitolina's second semifinal appearance at a WTA 1000 event in Indian Wells. According to OpatAce, her first came seven years ago, and she is now only the second player in tournament history, after China’s Na Li, to reach the semifinals twice with a seven-year gap.

“Today was a good day, I played really well. I wouldn’t say it was the perfect match, but I managed to stay in the game, fight, and find a way to win after losing the second set," Svitolina said during the post-match press conference. “I'm really satisfied with my performance overall.”

She also reflected on her progress this year, saying, “For me, it’s important to find little advantages that can help me improve my game. I want to be more consistent, sometimes I want to win matches a bit more easily. I wouldn't say I started the year at my best level—I gradually entered the season after playing in Auckland, trying to win a few matches here and there. Since September, when I finished last season, I hadn’t played for about three months. So it’s all come together slowly—and now we see the result. But I want to keep going and achieve even more.”

In addition to her semifinal achievement, Elina Svitolina has re-entered the WTA’s top 10 for the first time in five years, as per the latest rankings.

She is currently ranked 10th, marking her return to the elite group after dropping out in 2021. Prior to that, Svitolina had maintained a spot in the top 10 for four consecutive years, including a career-high ranking of No. 3 from 2017 to 2019.

Her remarkable comeback is all the more significant after a year-long break from competitive tennis in 2022–2023, during which she took time off for pregnancy and childbirth. Upon her return to the tour in April 2023, Svitolina was ranked 1,344th in the world.

In addition, Elina Svitolina made history by reaching the semifinals of the Australian Open for the first time in her career, defeating world number three Coco Gauff in straight sets.

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