MELBOURNE, Australia — Elina Svitolina was 4-1 down earlier than she went on a roll and took 11 of the following 12 video games in a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Veronika Kudermetova on Monday to succeed in the Australian Open quarterfinals for the third time.
The 30-year-old Ukrainian is into the final eight at a Grand Slam for the twelfth time and can subsequent play No. 19 Madison Keys, who had a 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 win over Elena Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion and 2023 Australian Open runner-up.
Keys has twice reached the semifinals in Australia, in 2015 and 2022, and entered the season’s first main with a title in Adelaide earlier this month.
Svitolina is again within the quarterfinals in Australia for the primary time since 2019.
“Seems like a lifetime in the past,” Svitolina mentioned. Since then, she has married French participant Gael Monfils in 2021 and the pair had a daughter, Skai, in 2022. “Many issues occurred and I am actually happy with the efficiency all through the match. Actually having fun with this win at the moment.”
After dropping two early service video games to Kudermetova, she mentioned her solely purpose “was simply attempting to combat.”
“It is the one factor I can do when issues should not going your method, put your head down and get again to work,” she mentioned. “Actually joyful I might come [back] into the match after which win in straight units.”
In a message written on a TV digital camera lens after the match, the No. 28-seeded Svitolina wrote “The Spirit of Ukraine” and drew a coronary heart form.
Svitolina, the No. 28 seed, wore a crimson costume, crimson sneakers and a crimson cap for the match. Folks within the crowd waved the yellow and blue Ukraine flag.
Kudermetova took a medical timeout for on-court remedy on her stomach after falling behind 5-4 the primary set.
She left the court docket for remedy after shedding the primary set. Kudermetova saved a breakpoint and held for 1-1 within the second set, following up a forehand winner down the road with a loud roar.
That was the top of her celebrating.
It wasn’t simply energy and tempo from Svitolina that was the distinction between the pair. After bringing Kudermetova to the web with a drop shot after which lobbing over her to begin the following recreation, Svitolina punched the air.
There was no handshake on the internet with Kudermetova, a 27-year-old from Russia, however no animosity, both.
Keys prolonged her win streak to 9 matches this 12 months. Rybakina appeared to be battling a decrease again damage that had affected her within the third spherical, and Keys was capable of play aggressively to neutralize Rybakina’s large serve and take management of the rallies.
“Her serve is such a weapon, so I knew that if I might simply attempt to make not less than a few of her service video games a bit of bit aggressive, then I had an opportunity,” mentioned Keys, who had misplaced to Rybakina in her final two encounters. “So I used to be principally simply attempting to make something that I might get my racket on again over the web, which labored typically.”
The Related Press and Reuters contributed to this report.