Svitolina fights back from a set down to beat Muchova and stay in WTA Finals hunt
Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina fought back after losing the first set. She beat Karolina Muchova 3-6, 6-2, 6-2, and the win kept her in the hunt for the WTA Finals title.
Early in the match, Svitolina looked to be on her way out. She was a set down and also required an eight-minute medical timeout. After that break she returned to the match and won the next two sets 6-2, 6-2 to complete the comeback.
Her start to the tournament had not been good. In her opening round-robin match she had been beaten 6-4, 6-0 by Mirra Andreeva. She said herself that she would have been eliminated if she had lost this match against Muchova.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the match, Svitolina said it was not an easy task. She was pretty angry at herself after the first match and after the first set of this one, because things did not go her way. She tried to direct that anger towards the ball and found her game in the end, she said.
She added that her level was back in the third set. Knowing she would be eliminated if she lost, she tried to give it all in this match, release all her energy and find openings against Karolina, whom she described as a tough opponent.
Svitolina said this is the last tournament of the season, so she has to put her head down and deal with the small injuries. Everyone is tired and everyone is struggling with something, she noted. She said she would do her best, have an ice bath and try to heal as much as possible in the next 48 hours.
