Elina Svitolina has advanced to the semifinals of the Australian Open after delivering a dominant performance against World No. 3, Coco Gauff, subsequently crushing her title hopes. The Ukrainian star, who will return to the top 10 after her notable win, has reflected that she has achieved the goal she set for the year and is content with her form at the first Grand Slam of the season.
Elina Svitolina Achieves Her Goal and Returns to Elite Tennis After Motherhood
Svitolina entered the Australian Open after clinching the ASB Classic, where she defeated Varvara Gracheva, Katie Boulter, Sonay Kartal, Iva Jović, and then Wang Xinyu in the final match. Her prominent buildup continued at Melbourne Park, where she beat Cristina Bucșa, Linda Klimovicova, Diana Shnaider, Mirra Andreeva, and then the American star in the quarterfinals.
The Odesa, Ukraine, native defeated Gauff in two sets with a concluding score of 6-1, 6-2, at Rod Laver Arena in 59 minutes. This was the fourth meeting of their careers; they had earlier clashed in 2021, with Svitolina winning their round of 64 match, and twice in 2024, with Gauff winning both matches.
During her post-match on-court interview with former World No. 4 Jelena Dokic, Svitolina revealed she had achieved her dream, highlighting that she didn’t waver in her ambition even after becoming a mother.
She added, feeling joyful, “Yeah, not bad. Not bad, I would say. Very, very pleased with the tournament so far, and of course always been my dream to come back after maternity leave. It was my dream to come back in top 10. Always been my goal. Unfortunately, didn’t happen last year, you know, I stopped after September. And then, when we were training and the offseason, I told my coach, I want to come back in top 10 still. So, this was my goal for this year.”
Furthermore, Svitolina also stated that she wanted to accomplish her goal last season but couldn’t, as she took time off to rejuvenate herself, concluding her season after the 2025 US Open.
Through her Instagram post, she had announced that she would be taking some time off to restore herself, expressing, “I’m giving myself the space I need to heal and recharge. instead of forcing it and when I step back on the court, I want to fight with everything I’ve got and put my best self on the court for the fans, for the game and for myself.”
She has now successfully returned with her 2026 season and is set to face the World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals at the Rod Laver Arena.
