Elina Svitolina is back in the upper echelons of WTA. At the 2026 Italian Open in Rome, the Ukrainian star orchestrated a stunning comeback to defeat world No. 2 Elena Rybakina. Yet, beyond the impressive tactics and baseline improvements, Svitolina revealed the true source of her renewed fire: her three-year-old daughter, Skaï.
Elina Svitolina Reveals Daughter Skaï Is Driving Force Behind Epic Top 10 Return
Svitolina and Ryabkina’s quarterfinal clash on the Italian clay was a bit dramatic. After dropping the first set to the Kazakh, Svitolina completely flipped the script, prevailing 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 in a two-hour and 23-minute match. Svitolina faced a staggering 20 break points from Rybakina, saving 16 of them.
During her post-match interview, Svitolina was asked what she owed this success to, after bouncing back to reclaim her spot in the Top 10. Her answer was heartwarming.
“After giving birth to our beautiful daughter Skaï, it’s really special for me to have these kind of moments on the court,” Svitolina said. “Coming back to the top 10, and playing big matches, winning them, it gives me such an amazing and really precious feeling to continue and go for more.”
Elina Svitolina after beating Elena Rybakina to reach Rome SF
“You’ve been playing such amazing tennis this season after some struggles in the past years. What do you owe this great moment in tennis to?”
Elina: “After giving birth to our beautiful daughter Skaï, it’s really… pic.twitter.com/zOPQzJSdUf
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) May 13, 2026
Skaï was born on October 15, 2022, to Svitolina and her husband, fellow tennis star Gaël Monfils. Svitolina and Monfils, beloved as one of tennis’s favorite power couples, have been open about the challenges of balancing the tour with parenthood. However, Svitolina has noted that motherhood, while representing her war-torn home country, has completely shifted her mindset.
Svitolina made her official return to professional tennis at the Charleston Open (a WTA 500 event in South Carolina) in April 2023, just six months after giving birth. Shortly after, she won her first title as a mother at the WTA Strasbourg Open and reached the semifinals of Wimbledon 2023.
Both Svitolina and Rybakina entered this quarterfinal boasting sensational 2026 campaigns so far, making the victory even sweeter for the Ukrainian. Returning to the Top 10 with a vengeance, the 31-year-old has already secured top-tier hard-court upsets over the likes of Iga Świątek and Coco Gauff, and reached the WTA 1000 semifinals in Dubai and Indian Wells before arriving in Rome.
Meanwhile, the world No. 2 arrived in Italy, fresh off a clay-court title victory over Karolina Muchova in Stuttgart. Rybakina has reduced the gap with No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka this year, who has held the top spot since late 2024.
Next up in the semifinals, Svitolina will face world No. 3 Świątek. After a few months of underwhelming results, the Polish superstar, under the training of her new coach Francisco Roig, punched her ticket to the semis by beating Jessica Pegula 6-1, 6-2. Their semifinal is scheduled for Thursday.
