Two-time grand slam semi-finalist Elina Svitolina has performed a WTA match for the primary time as a mom, dropping to Yulia Putintseva 6-7 (7-3) 6-2 6-4 on the Charleston Open in her WTA tour return.
Svitolina has been ranked as excessive as No. 3 and is at the moment No.1081, as a result of she was off the tour for slightly greater than a 12 months. She and her husband, fellow participant Gael Monfils, turned dad and mom in October, when their daughter, Skai, was born.
The first-round match on inexperienced clay lasted two hours, 46 minutes and was stuffed with momentum swings.
The earlier time Svitolina competed at a event, on the Miami Open in March 2022, she was ranked No. 20. She obtained a wild-card invitation to get into the primary attract Charleston.
The 28-year-old from Ukraine entered Monday with a 6-1 head-to-head report in opposition to Putintseva, profitable their previous six matches in a row.
Svitolina reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon and the US Open in 2019 and gained the season-ending WTA Finals the 12 months earlier than.
“It’s very nice to have her back. She’s always been super nice and an inspiration for me, because she was a warrior on court, a fighter, and I love these kind of players. It’s even more inspirational seeing her come back as a mom,” stated Paula Badosa, who’s seeded twelfth in Charleston.
“I’m very happy for her and I hope soon she’s back where she belongs.”
In different Day 1 matches, 17-year-old Linda Fruhvirtova beat Jil Teichmann 6-2 3-6 6-2, Anna Kalinskaya defeated Anhelina Kalinina 7-6 (7-6) 6-4, qualifier Katherine Sebov received previous Lauren Davis 4-6 6-1 6-2, and Anna Blinkova eradicated Anna Bondar 7-6 (9-7) 6-2 to arrange a second-round matchup in opposition to top-seeded Jessica Pegula.
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
