“I told her I hope she wins the title” – Swiatek praises triumphant Svitolina

After the controversy that sprang up around Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina and Belarus’s Victoria Azarenka’s unsurprising failure to shake hands at the end of their fourth-round match, the embrace at the net on Tuesday was a sharp contrast.

Svitolina and defeated world No 1 Iga Swiatek hugged at the end of their quarter-final, with the Ukrainian quickly paying tribute in her post-match interview to her opponent’s constant support for her country following Russia’s invasion.

“Iga is not only a great champion but an unbelievable person,” Svitolina said.

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And in her press conference, Swiatek revealed what she had said to her rival.

“I think overall, looking at her career, having [a] Grand Slam title would be pretty amazing for her,” she said. “She’s coming back after becoming a mother.

“I’ll root for her, especially because we like each other as people. I told her on the net that I hope she win this tournament.

“You know how it is in tennis: it’s tough to win a Grand Slam. I know that for sure she wants it really bad. So I will be rooting for her, yeah.”

Swiatek: I’ve always played against my friends

Svitolina had also mentioned that her affection and respect for Swiatek could have made it tricky to face her in such an important match – but the Pole was quick to dismiss any idea that either of them were not fully focused on beating the other.

“Since I was really, like, 13, I played against my best friends sometimes. I managed to kind of just focus on tennis and not think about that.

“I’m leaving everything that is going on usually off court outside of the match. I think Elina did that, as well. So I played the same kind of tennis. I was focused the same way. I wouldn’t say it had impact on me.”

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