US Open 5th seed Elina Svitolina overcame former champion Venus Williams 6-4 6-4 in what was a competitive second-round clash. While Svitolina raced to a 5-2 lead in the first set, Venus showed her resolve by breaking service back and defending two set points. It ultimately took the Ukranian 50 minutes to secure victory in the first set.
With powerful groundstrokes and calm temperament, Svitolina managed to break Venus’s serve and then hold her own to go up 5-3 and serve for the match. While Svitolina earned a massive five match points, Venus yet again refused to give in and managed to hold her service game. Ultimately, Svitolina’s consistency paid off, with a 6-4 win in the second set that saw her progress to the third round at Flushing Meadows.
It was an impressive performance on behalf of both players. Svitolina managed to win 12 out of 14 points in the latter stages of the first set as well as pull off a five-game win streak, Venus, on the other hand, successfully defended 13 out of 17 breakpoints.
Unfortunately for Venus, it was her seven double faults and failure to make the most of her service games that damaged her chances. Svitolina, on the other hand, impressed in all aspects of gameplay and certainly looks like a force to be reckoned with come third-round action.
