A tearful Elina Svitolina was forced to retire with a back injury only three games into her fourth-round clash with Linda Noskova at the Australian Open.

The former world number three, who has made a very impressive return following the birth of daughter Skai last year, appeared the favourite to make the final from a wide open top half of the draw.

But her back locked up in the first game of the match and she sobbed as she called it a day trailing 3-0.

She said: “This one I think I never had that before, the shooting pain like this. I had some injuries to my back before where it just was tiredness the next day of the match, but this one was really out of nowhere. I felt like someone shot me in the back.”

Svitolina, who reached the semi-finals of Wimbledon last summer, did not want to think about what might have been, saying: “I cannot say that this was an open draw in a way.

“If you take other players, they are meant to be there. You have also in the other side of the draw very strong players who won slams and played really consistent throughout the year last year.

“So I don’t want to look this as a missed opportunity, especially right now when it was not about my tennis today.”

Having beaten Iga Swiatek in the third round, 19-year-old Noskova is now through to her first grand slam quarter-final, where she will take on another Ukrainian in Dayana Yastremska.

She saved two set points in the opening set and then came from 3-0 down in the second to beat two-time former champion Victoria Azarenka 7-6 (6) 6-4, powering 38 winners.

Yastremska was ranked as high as 21 in 2020 but had not won a slam match since serving a provisional doping suspension the following year and had to come through qualifying here.

The 23-year-old tested positive for the synthetic testosterone mesterolone and missed nearly six months of competition before it was decided she bore no fault or negligence and was therefore free to compete again.

Yastremska is the second Ukrainian through to the last eight after Marta Kostyuk, and Svitolina will be cheering on her countrywomen.

“Of course I’ve been following that we all have been playing really well,” she said. “At the beginning of the tournament, seven Ukrainians in the main draw, and going that far so many of us, it’s nice in the second week as well.

“It’s great for Ukrainian tennis. Of course, now I feel very old because of my health, but I’m happy that they are doing great. It’s great for Ukrainian tennis. It’s great for the upcoming generation as well, especially now these days when Ukraine is in such a tough time.”

Elina Svitolina's return to the WTA Tour has been nothing short of "extraordinary" following her break to become a mother, believes Marion Bartoli.

The former world number three took a break from tennis last year in order to have her first child, who was born in October.

Since making her return this year however, she has shown no signs of rust, winning the Strasbourg Open before a quarter-final finish at the French Open and a last-four appearance at Wimbledon.

With a rich vein of form behind her, Svitolina looks in contention for the season-ending WTA Finals later this year and Wimbledon champion Bartoli has been left impressed by her comeback.

"All I know is you [disturb] your sleeping pattern because your baby's waking up during the night [and] then of course you're a lot more tired during the day when you have to go through your training," she told Stats Perform.

"Obviously, your body's changing through pregnancy as well. To find her athleticism again and get yourself into shape, she has done it so quickly.

"She was so fit at Roland Garros [and] she was I thought even fitter at Wimbledon. For me, it's just really extraordinary to see her physically that fit and that match ready so soon.

"I would not be surprised to see her do extremely well in the US Open and actually qualify [for the WTA Finals]. I will not be surprised at all to see her ending up in the top eight at the end of this year."

Svitolina's form comes amid a wide-open tour where several of the world's best players are jockeying for success, while returns to the court for Naomi Osaka and Caroline Wozniacki have also caught headlines.

Bartoli believes it is an exciting time to follow the game, adding: "I think we are in for a great WTA Tour. We have the comeback [from] Naomi Osaka, we have the comeback of Caroline Wozniacki, which is really exciting.

"Victoria [Azarenka] [came back] super strong after pregnancy as well, and Ons Jabeur, she was so close to winning a grand slam. You have the feeling that it's not going to take too long before she wins her first.

"I think we have a lot of stories to tell. If those girls can stay on top, I think we're in for a good one."

Evgeniy Zukin says the only way to ensure tennis' future in Ukraine is by stopping the war started by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Russia, with Belarus' assistance, invaded Ukraine in February 2022. 

The war still rages on, but in sport, Ukrainian athletes are carrying on, with Elina Svitolina becoming something of a figurehead with an exceptional run to the semi-finals at Wimbledon this month.

Zukin, the chief of the Ukraine Tennis Federation (UTF), is proud of the achievements of his compatriots, but warned that the "golden age" of Ukrainian tennis could ultimately lead to nothing down the line.

"This is the hard work of all the players themselves and the federation, the clubs, who put in those efforts in the last 10 years – the results are following just now," he told Stats Perform.

"We are truly happy, so many players in the top 50 and the way they play is inspirational and they have chances of beating the top players all the time. It's great.

"But could you imagine if this moment had come in a peaceful situation, in a good economical situation, because our main focus as the federation in the peaceful times was to promote our sports so that the parent would decide which sport their child would take up.

"They might go to tennis because it has tradition, good results, good coaches, so that’s why we need results on top, to grow the mass participation, to involve more people at grassroots. From those grassroots, there’d be more players, and from there more talents who become professionals if they work hard enough.

"Unfortunately now this is not the case and the problem is not many will be able to afford tennis for quite a big period of time.

"This is a golden age for [Ukrainian] women's tennis, for sure, but I'm really worried what's going to be there when this generation stops playing, and for the next generation."

Zukin says there is little the sporting community can do. Instead, the onus must be on the war coming to an end.

"We need to stop the war. This is the most important thing," he said.

"We cannot do anything in tennis when there are bombings in Kyiv, not even at the frontline, even in western Ukraine. We need to stop the war.

"Tennis is dependent on the economic situation of normal people, who can invest in their child until at least 13, 14, when we can understand if the kid can be a professional.

"Then we could support them, find an investor or a club. Those first five, six, seven years, it's the parents who are taking on most of the expenses.

"We need to stop the war, get back our normal economy and get it even better, with all the infrastructure that we lost already – it's not going to be easy, this is what we see as the biggest challenge, the economic resurrection.

"It's not about how many [tennis] courts were destroyed, the parents need to invest in their kids and be able to do this."

Elina Svitolina is an inspiration to female tennis players and women around the globe, says Ukraine Tennis Federation (UTF) chief Evgeniy Zukin.

Svitolina reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon before going down to Marketa Vondrousova, beating world number one Iga Swiatek en route to matching her best performance at a grand slam.

The 28-year-old, who gave birth in October 2022, previously reached the last four at Wimbledon in 2019 and at the US Open in the same year.

Having progressed to the quarters at this year's French Open, Svitolina seems back to her best, and Zukin is thrilled to see it.

When asked if Svitolina was an inspiration to Ukrainian athletes as the country's war with Russia rages on, Zukin told Stats Perform: "Yes, of course.

"I think this is the biggest sporting result lately for Ukraine. Our Under-21 football team also did well, reached the semi-finals of the European Championships, but on the big stage, this is the biggest achievement of a Ukrainian athlete in my opinion – of course I'm a little biased on this.

"This is amazing – quarters in Paris, now semis in London, after giving birth, is an incredible achievement from any perspective."

Asked if Svitolina's return from her hiatus was proof women can come back from pregnancy and perform at a high level, Zukin said: "Exactly. Now we hear that [Caroline] Wozniacki is coming back, [Naomi] Osaka is coming back and this is good – just for women, not athletes.

"It shows that you should give birth, you should come back to your previous business and it’s achievable and doable – this is the main message.

"It's really great, there cannot be a better message."

Zukin does not believe Svitolina should feel the pressure to win a slam, adding: "Nobody knows what's around the corner. Every athlete just wakes up every day and tries to be better than yesterday – this is the main thing.

"If it happens, it happens, if it doesn’t happen, it's still an amazing career anyhow, an amazing achievement.

"One by one, day by day and then if it comes, it’s great. If it doesn't come, it's also great. There's no pressure at all in my opinion."

Zukin has known Svitolina since she was a child, and while he no longer has consistent contact with her, he says she is an inspirational figure off the court too.

"She's an independent professional, she has her own team and charity fund and agents and all her entourage is with her all the time," he said.

"I've known her since she was 11, when I was a tennis referee, refereeing tournaments where she played, and I know her older brother from when I was a player.

"She's a nice person and it's good that she tries to do something more than just tennis with her charity fund, with representing Ukraine on the world stage and delivering the messages that are really needed for Ukrainians right now.

"She's an incredible ambassador for Ukraine and Ukrainian tennis."

Elina Svitolina became tearful as she reflected on the end of her hopes of winning the Wimbledon title for Ukraine.

Svitolina’s efforts amid war in her homeland and only nine months after giving birth to daughter Skai have been one of the stories of the tournament.

But her hopes of reaching a first grand slam final were ended in emphatic fashion by 24-year-old Czech Marketa Vondrousova, whose 6-3 6-3 victory makes her the first unseeded women’s finalist at Wimbledon since 1963.

Far more at home on clay than grass, this is Vondrousova’s first big grand slam run since she lost to Ashleigh Barty in the French Open final as a teenager in 2019.

Svitolina was desperately disappointed with her performance and struggled to keep her composure as she spoke about the support she had received from back home.

“I got a lot of messages from different people,” she said. “It’s unbelievable that they’ve been there with me all the way. Hopefully they continue.

“For sure I hope I can build on this. But right now I’m just really disappointed with the performance that I showed today. That’s what I have right now in my mind.

“Probably I will need a couple of days to really reflect on everything that happened because I was trying to be really focused, even after the win against Iga (Swiatek).”

Vadym Prystaiko, the Ukrainian ambassador to the UK, was in the Royal Box, with Svitolina’s run having provided cheer amid dark times for her compatriots back home.

Sergiy Stakhovsky celebrated the best moment of his career on Centre Court 10 years ago when he beat Roger Federer but that is a distant memory now as he prepares to return to the front line.

He told the Telegraph: “There’s not a person in Ukraine who isn’t following her story. She brings joy where there is despair, brings hope where there is misery. She is fulfilling a lot of things the Ukrainians need these days.”

Although it did not maintain its ban on Russian and Belarusian players, Wimbledon organisers have tried to show they are still on Ukraine’s side, welcoming 1,000 refugees to the Championships and helping Ukrainian players with training and accommodation costs.

They are also donating one pound for every fan who comes through the gates to the British Red Cross’ humanitarian work in Ukraine, with the total at £412,132 after 10 days.

Svitolina has spoken at length about the new mindset she has on her return to tennis, as a new mother and as a result of the war, with on-court defeats no longer the disaster they might once have felt.

But here she found herself perhaps the favourite against a similarly unexpected semi-finalist – this was the first time in the open era that a last-four clash here had featured two unseeded players.

The freedom with which Svitolina had progressed through her first five rounds was missing, while Vondrousova is also a player who offers a frustrating lack of rhythm.

The Czech mixes big hits from the baseline with drop shots, lobs and short angles and she wrapped up the first set in less than half an hour, breaking Svitolina’s serve three times in a row.

The fans tried to will Svitolina, who lost both her previous slam semi-finals here and at the US Open in 2019, back into the match in the second set but Vondrousova was firmly in her groove and she moved to the brink of victory at 4-0.

The Czech can be a nervous closer and there were definite signs of tension as Svitolina broke twice in succession to claw her way back to 4-3 only to play another poor game, and she looked emotional as she walked off court to a standing ovation.

The Ukrainian admitted she has been carrying a lot on her shoulders, saying: “For sure it’s a big motivation but it’s a lot of responsibility, a lot of tension. I try to balance it as much as I can.

“But sometimes it gets maybe too much. But I don’t want to take it as an excuse that I lost today. I try to take it as a motivation for me. I just hope that Ukrainian people continue supporting me. It was really amazing. And I just hope that I’m going to get another chance.”

Marketa Vondrousova ended the inspiring run of Elina Svitolina to reach her first Wimbledon final.

Svitolina’s efforts amid war in her homeland of Ukraine and only nine months after giving birth to daughter Skai have been one of the stories of the tournament.

But her hopes of reaching a first grand slam final were ended in emphatic fashion by 24-year-old Czech Vondrousova, whose 6-3 6-3 victory makes her the first unseeded women’s finalist at Wimbledon since 1963.

Far more at home on clay than grass, this is Vondrousova’s first big grand slam run since she made the final at the French Open in 2019 as a teenager, losing to Ashleigh Barty.

She had beaten Svitolina comfortably in their last meeting in the semi-finals at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and it was the same story here, despite the Ukrainian prompting hopes of a comeback in the second set.

Vadym Prystaiko, the Ukrainian ambassador to the UK, was in the Royal Box, with Svitolina’s run having provided cheer amid dark times for her compatriots back home.

Sergiy Stakhovsky celebrated the best moment of his career on Centre Court 10 years ago when he beat Roger Federer but that is a distant memory now as he prepares to return to the front line.

He told the Telegraph: “There’s not a person in Ukraine who isn’t following her story. She brings joy where there is despair, brings hope where there is misery. She is fulfilling a lot of things the Ukrainians need these days.”

Although it did not maintain its ban on Russian and Belarusian players, Wimbledon organisers have tried to show they are still on Ukraine’s side, welcoming 1,000 refugees to the Championships and helping Ukrainian players with training and accommodation costs.

They are also donating one pound for every fan who comes through the gates to the British Red Cross’ humanitarian work in Ukraine, with the total at £412,132 after 10 days.

Although the crowd were very much on Svitolina’s side, there will surely be a tinge of relief at the All England Club that the final cannot now see the Ukrainian take on Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka in what would have been a hugely awkward occasion.

Svitolina has spoken at length about the new mindset she has brought with her on her return to tennis, as a new mother and as a result of the war, with on-court defeats no longer the disaster they might once have felt.

There was no doubt she desperately wanted to keep her run going, though, and suddenly she found herself perhaps the favourite against a similarly unexpected semi-finalist – this was the first time in the open era that a last-four clash here had featured two unseeded players.

The freedom with which Svitolina had progressed through her first five rounds was missing here, while Vondrousova is also a player who offers a frustrating lack of rhythm.

The Czech mixes big hits from the baseline with drop shots, lobs and short angles and she wrapped up the first set in less than half an hour, breaking Svitolina’s serve three times in a row.

Vondrousova may not be a household name but her talent has never been in question and she would surely have built on her French Open breakthrough earlier but for injury troubles.

The fans tried to will Svitolina, who lost both her previous slam semi-finals here and at the US Open in 2019, back into the match in the second set but Vondrousova was firmly in her groove and she moved to the brink of victory at 4-0.

Svitolina had fought back from almost as dire a position against Victoria Azarenka in the fourth round and she got a slight foothold by breaking the Vondrousova serve in a long fifth game.

The Czech can be a nervous closer and there were definite signs of tension as Svitolina broke again to get back on serve, with Vondrousova missing a collective six chances to move to within a game of victory.

Svitolina gave her a helping hand with another poor game, though, and Vondrousova made it across the line before her opponent departed Centre Court to a standing ovation.

Marketa Vondrousova believes she will be facing ‘super woman’ when she takes on Elina Svitolina in the Wimbledon semi-finals.

Ukrainian wild card Svitolina is inspiring new mothers across the world with her run to the last four, just nine months after giving birth to her daughter Skai.

“It’s incredible what she did. She received a wild card and she’s in semis. It’s incredible,” said Czech 24-year-old Vondrousova.

“I feel like it’s such a short time after a baby. She’s doing amazing things.

“Yeah, she’s a fighter and she’s playing so good. I think for us, we can see that we also can manage with a baby. It’s amazing.

“She also did great job in Paris. Now she’s doing these things. Yeah, I mean, for me it’s incredible she can do this with a baby, and after such a long time also.

“We chat a bit on Instagram. I’m with her all the way. She’s fighting so much for everything. Now she’s just playing amazing tennis also. She’s a super woman, I think.”

Vondrousova, the world number 42, pulled off a shock by beating fourth seed Jessica Pegula in the quarter-finals.

Svitolina, currently ranked 76 but who has been as high as three, stunned world number one Iga Swiatek on Centre Court.

“It’s different right now,” said Svitolina, 28. “Right now I just say to myself I think it’s less years that I have in front than behind me. I have to go for it. I don’t have time to lose anymore. I don’t know how many years I will be playing more.

“So just I try to tell myself, like, go for it. You practice for these moments, for these big moments. This really helped me and calmed me a little bit, as well.”

Elina Svitolina claimed the mother of all victories by knocking out world number one Iga Swiatek to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals.

The unseeded Ukrainian, who only gave birth to her daughter Skai nine months ago, ousted top seed Swiatek with a dramatic 7-5 6-7 (5) 6-2 victory on Centre Court.

Swiatek, just as she had in her previous match against Belinda Bencic, came from a set down to draw level and seemed to have snatched the momentum.

But with Jeremy Clarkson watching from the crowd, Svitolina found top gear just when she needed it to secure a famous victory.

“I don’t know what is happening right now, it’s really unbelievable,” Svitolina, also a semi-finalist here in 2019, said.

“I’m really, really happy that I got this chance to play here again. I was fighting, it was not easy. Iga is world number one and always fighting. It was an unbelievable match and I’m really happy I could win this one.”

Swiatek looked dialled in from the start this time, breaking the Svitolina serve in the opening game.

But as she served for the set, the 22-year-old from Warsaw gifted Svitolina a break back to love with an uncharacteristically sloppy game, topped off with a double-fault.

Swiatek was rattled and Svitolina began finding her range, punishing a second serve to bring up two set points and edging in front when Swiatek’s backhand floated long.

A slight delay as the roof was closed gave Swiatek a chance to regroup but a hold to love at the start of the second set meant Svitolina had won 10 of the previous 12 points.

However, nerves started to kick in when, at 40-0, Svitolina missed the simplest of volleys at the net and then double-faulted, allowing Swiatek to break.

Swiatek then got a dose of the jitters herself, a double-fault giving Svitolina two break points and a long forehand levelling the set at 3-3.

Svitolina dug out a second ace of the match to go 4-1 ahead in the tie-break but Swiatek reeled her back in with a couple of rasping forehands which clipped the line and an exquisite backhand winner.

But Svitolina came again, breaking the reigning French and US Open champion twice to lead 4-1 in the decider.

Two more aces made it 5-1 and despite some late resistance from the Pole Svitolina came through, covering her mouth with her hand in utter shock when Swiatek hit the net on match point.

Swiatek has been a huge supporter of the Ukrainian cause following the Russian invasion and wears a blue and yellow ribbon in her cap.

Svitolina, whose emotional win over Victoria Azarenka of Belarus in the fourth round was one of the matches of the tournament, added: “Iga is not only a great champion but an unbelievable person.

“She was one of the first who really helped the Ukrainian people, she was a huge help. So for sure it’s not easy to play someone that you share a lot of good moments. Not easy for her either but I’m really proud I could win this one.”

Tension will be replaced by appreciation when Elina Svitolina takes on Iga Swiatek for a place in the Wimbledon semi-finals on Tuesday.

The All England Club can have barely heard a reaction like the chorus of booing that accompanied Victoria Azarenka off Court One following her narrow defeat by Svitolina on Sunday evening.

Ukrainian players refuse to shake hands with Russian or Belarusian opponents at the end of matches as a result of the invasion of their country and there has been significant locker room rancour about how the issue has affected tennis.

 

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The WTA has been criticised for not offering enough support to its Ukrainian members, who feel the rights of their Russian and Belarusian counterparts have been prioritised.

An exception to that has been Swiatek, with the Pole using her voice and platform to speak up for Ukraine and organising a charity exhibition event last summer.

“She’s a great champion, also a great person,” said Svitolina. “I’m really thankful for her support of Ukrainians, Ukraine, doing everything what is in her power, being vocal about that.”

Swiatek wears a blue and yellow ribbon to show she is still thinking about Ukraine, and she said of Svitolina: “For sure we respect each other. We like each other. It’s all pretty positive.

“It’s good to have these kind of players on tour that are nice and they have good values, I think. I’m happy that she’s back after becoming a mother. I don’t know how tough it is, but I’m sure it’s really tough.

“I’m happy that she’s playing a solid game. I think it’s going to be interesting.”

Svitolina has now reached back-to-back grand slam quarter-finals having only returned to the tour in April following the birth of daughter Skai in October.

The former world number three has made two grand slam semi-finals, at Wimbledon and the US Open in 2019, while Swiatek, who saved match points against Belinda Bencic in round four, is having her best run here.

Elina Svitolina will take on Aryna Sabalenka in the French Open quarter-finals after continuing her brilliant return to grand slam tennis by beating Daria Kasatkina.

Svitolina will be the second Ukrainian opponent faced by Belarusian Sabalenka, who recovered from losing a 5-0 lead in the first set to beat Sloane Stephens 7-6 (5) 6-4 in the first night session women’s match.

Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz continued their march towards a probable semi-final meeting with identical 6-3 6-2 6-2 victories – Djokovic over Juan Pablo Varillas and Alcaraz against Lorenzo Musetti.

Picture of the dayTweet of the day

Djokovic had some help warming up for his match from his eight-year-old son Stefan.

Stat of the dayGreat Danes

The past and the present of Danish tennis met at Roland Garros on Sunday. Caroline Wozniacki is now a mother of two and is playing in a slam legends event for the first time.

Fallen seeds

Men: Lorenzo Musetti (17)
Women: Daria Kasatkina (9), Elise Mertens (28)

Who’s up next?

 

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Victories for Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff on Monday would set up a rematch of last year’s final.

Swiatek takes on Ukraine’s Lesia Tsurenko, who will be looking to join Svitolina in the last eight, while Gauff meets Slovakia’s Anna Karolina Schmiedlova.

In the men’s event, fourth seed Casper Ruud meets Nicolas Jarry and sixth seed Holger Rune plays Francisco Cerundolo, while Alexander Zverev features in the night session again, this time up against Grigor Dimitrov.

New mother Elina Svitolina continued her incredible grand slam return by defeating Daria Kasatkina to reach the quarter-finals of the French Open.

The Ukrainian gave birth to daughter Skai in October and played her first tournament in more than a year at the beginning of April.

She arrived in Paris on the back of a WTA title in Strasbourg and, watched by husband Gael Monfils, extended her winning run to eight matches with a 6-4 7-6 (5) success against ninth seed Kasatkina.

“Definitely I wouldn’t dream about this when I was giving birth in October last year,” said Svitolina.

“It’s unbelievable for me to be able to compete here and to get to the quarter-final is special. Hopefully I can push further. I’m really motivated to give my everything for the next matches.”

The former world number three, who can match her best ever grand slam run by making the semi-finals, overcame nerves at the end, twice failing to serve it out, before clinching victory in a tie-break.

Svitolina spent four years in the top 10 and is enjoying being able to play without so much expectation, saying: “I think this is one of the things that I noticed that right now I don’t have that pressure that I used to have before.

“Of course, me personally I put pressure for myself because I want to win a slam. This is the ultimate goal for me.

“But definitely not the pressure from outside. No one expects that I’m going to come into Roland Garros and make quarter-final at the beginning of the tournament.

“That’s why I feel like this really helps me. I feel almost like I’m 17 again coming on the tour fresh. I’m not defending any points. Not here, not next week. I feel more free.”

Kasatkina has been the most outspoken Russian player against the invasion of Ukraine and earned praise from Svitolina ahead of the contest.

 

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She knew Svitolina would stick to the Ukrainians’ policy of not shaking hands with Belarusian and Russian opponents, though, and gave a quick thumbs-up before heading straight to her chair.

One Russian is through to the last eight, with Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova arguably even more of a surprise than Svitolina.

The 31-year-old achieved the best result of her career here two years ago by reaching the final but underwent knee surgery last year and is ranked down at 333.

She recently lost 6-0 6-0 to Iga Swiatek in Rome but took out her third seed of the week with a 3-6 7-6 (3) 6-3 victory over Elise Mertens.

“I had a fear and doubts that maybe I will never win a match again,” said Pavlyuchenkova. “Maybe I will never get my good form back or I will never be fit again. What if I start playing again and the pain comes back and my knee is bad again?

“But I guess this motivation and this desire of coming back and competing again and being on these big stages again and playing three-hour matches like today, there was a lot more weight on that. So that kind of pushed me.

“I believed, I worked so hard and, even with all the failures that I had this year – and there were sometimes ridiculous matches that I lost – still kept on believing, working hard, and just persistence and patience.”

Pavlyuchenkova will next meet Czech Karolina Muchova, who reached her first French Open quarter-final with a 6-4 6-3 win over Elina Avanesyan.

Former world number three Elina Svitolina's first game back on the WTA Tour in more than 12 months ended in a near three-hour defeat to Yulia Putintseva in the Charleston Open first round on Monday.

Svitolina, 28, had been off the tour for a combination of injury and pregnancy, but was back in action for the first time since giving birth to her and male tennis player Gael Monfils' daughter Skai in October.

The Ukrainian, who reached both the Wimbledon and US Open semi-finals in 2019, won the first set after rallying back from 3-1 down in a tie-break

But the Kazakh world number 47 responded and prevailed 6-7 (3-7) 6-2 6-4 in two hours and 48 minutes, with Putintseva sapping her opponent's energy with frequent drop shots.

Former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin was on track for victory in a topsy-turvy clash with Aliaksandra Sasnovich before rain intervened, forcing it to be re-scheduled for Tuesday with the American leading 6-1 6-7 (5-7) 3-0.

World number 50 Sloane Stephens fought back after an early scare to beat qualifier Louisa Chirico 3-6 6-1 6-2, while Alize Cornet breezed past Fiona Crawley 6-0 6-2.

Jil Teichman was one of three seeds to lose in the first round, going down 6-2 3-6 6-2 to 17-year-old Linda Fruhvirtova.

Ukrainian 11th seed Anhelina Kalinina lost 7-6 (8-6) 6-4 to Anna Kalinskaya, while 10th seed Zhang Shuai was beaten 6-4 1-6 6-3 by Julia Grabher.

Eugenie Bouchard returned for the first time since the 2023 Australian Open due to injury with a win over Ylena In-Albon 6-3 6-2 at the Copa Colsanitas in Bogota.

Third seed Nuria Parrizas Diaz was knocked out by Briton Francesca Jones, who is ranked 817th in the world, 7-6 (7-3) 6-1 in a major shock.

Elina Svitolina gave birth to her and husband Gael Monfils' first child on Saturday.

The couple, who married in July 2021, have announced the arrival of daughter Skai Monfils.

Former world number three Svitolina and two-time grand slam semi-finalist Monfils announced last May they were expecting a baby girl.

Svitolina posted on Instagram on Saturday: "Ladies and gentlemen, please give a warm welcome to Skai Monfils.

"Can't thank enough my husband to live [through] this unforgettable moment with me."

Monfils wrote on social media: "I had the most amazing night of my life, which ended with the most beautiful gift around 6.00am.

"Elina was strong and brave. I can't [thank] enough my wife and God for this special moment. Welcome to the world my little princess Skai."

Tennis stars Gael Monfils and Elina Svitolina are expecting a child, with their baby girl due to be born in October.

Monfils is the ATP world number 21, while Ukrainian Svitolina is ranked 27th in the WTA rankings.

On Sunday, the pair, who married in 2021, announced the news on their official Twitter accounts.

"With a heart full of love and happiness, we are delighted to announce that we are expecting a baby girl in October," a post on each of their accounts read.

Svitolina has been outspoken about her opinion on Russian and Belarusian athletes participating on the Tour, in the wake of Russia's invasion of her homeland.

In April, the 27-year-old called for Russian and Belarusian players to be banned from all international tennis events unless they denounce the invasion in Ukraine.

She decided to take a break from tennis in March, citing a back problem.

Elina Svitolina has called for Russian and Belarusian players to be banned from all international tennis events unless they denounce the invasion in Ukraine.

The All England Club on Wednesday announced that players from Russia and Belarus will not be allowed to compete at Wimbledon due to the conflict in Ukraine.

Daniil Medvedev, Aryna Sabalenka, Victoria Azarenka and Andrey Rublev are among the household names that will not be allowed to compete in the grass-court grand slam, "unless circumstances change materially between now and June".

Russian and Belarusian players will also be prevented from entering all other events organised by the Lawn Tennis Association.

Two-time major semi-finalist and former world number three Svitolina believes a global ban should be imposed on players from Russia and Belarus if they do not speak out.

The Ukrainian former world number three posted on Twitter and Instagram: "Dear Tennis Community.

"Ginetta Sagan once said: 'Silence in the face of injustice is complicity with the oppressor.' This could not be any more true right now.

"On 24th February 2022, Russia, with the support of Belarus, attacked Ukraine. Now there is a war in our country, in our home. All Ukrainians are forced to leave their homes and fight for their lives. For over 50 days now, the Russian forces have been bombing our cities and killing civilians, as well as using the territory of Belarus to bomb Ukraine from the west and the north.

"Millions of people have been left homeless, millions of children now know what explosions, fear and death look like. It is all happening right now in the centre of Europe.

"As athletes we live a life in the public eye and therefore have an enormous responsibility. Some of our posts and opinions on social media reach an audience larger than those of regional television stations. In times of crisis, silence means agreeing with what is happening.

"We noticed that some Russian and Belarusian players at some point vaguely mentioned the war, but never clearly stating that Russia and Belarus started it on the territory of Ukraine. The very silence of those who choose to remain that way right now is unbearable as it leads to the continuation of murder in our homeland.

"We demand that the WTA, ATP and ITF make sure the players who represent Russia and Belarus answer the following questions:

"1. Do you support Russia's and Belarus invasion in Ukraine's territory and as a result of that the war started by those countries?

"2. Do you support Russia's and Belarus military activities in Ukraine?

"3. Do you support [Russian president Vladimir] Putin's and [Belarus president Alexander] Lukashenko's regime?

"If applicable, we demand to exclude and ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from competing in any international event, as Wimbledon already [has] done. There come a time when silence is betrayal, and that time is now."

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