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Wimbledon Witnesses Elina Svitolina Emulate Serena Williams’ Fantabulous 1999 Feat as the Ukrainian Overwhelms Favorite Iga Swiatek

Published 07/11/2023, 1:29 PM EDT

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Elina Svitolina has been a revelation at this year’s Wimbledon Championships. Earlier today, the Ukrainian tennis star caused a massive upset as she knocked out World Number 1, Iga Swiatek in an epic three-set match. The French Open champion gave it her all but couldn’t overcome a spirited Svitolina. The match lasted just under three hours, resulting in the ouster of the top seed.

Svitolina was playing her first Wimbledon Championships after giving birth to her first child. Nonetheless, it never looked like she was away from the courts as she equaled her best performance at Wimbledon. In the process, Svitolina achieved a rare feat accomplished by only Serena Williams and Justine Henin.

Elina Svitolina matches Serena Williams and Justine Henin

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With her quarterfinal victory at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships, Svitolina became just the third player in the Open Era to defeat four former Women’s Singles Grand Slam Champions in a single major tournament. This feat has been achieved by only Serena Williams at the 1999 US Open and Justine Henin at the 2005 French Open. Both Serena and Henin went on to win the title in those tournaments.

At the 1999 US Open, Serena defeated the likes of Martina Hingis, Monica Seles, Lindsay Davenport, and Conchita Martínez. On the other hand, Henin overcame the likes of Mary Pierce, Maria Sharapova, Svetlana Kuznetsova, and Conchita Martínez to win the 2005 French Open. On this occasion, Svitolina defeated Venus Williams, Sofia Kenin, Victoria Azarenka, and Iga Swiatek, the four major winners.

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It was a see-saw battle between Swiatek and Svitolina earlier today. While the latter took the first set 7-5, Swiatek came back stronger to level the match by winning the second set 7-6 (5). However, in the decider, Svitolina kept her calm as she eventually prevailed 6-2 in an intriguing battle.

Whom will Svitolina face next?

With her commanding win over the top seed Swiatek, Svitolina has entered the semifinals of the 2023 Wimbledon Championships. In the last four, she will be up against Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic. The latter had earlier defeated the fourth seed, Jessica Pegula to set up a clash with Svitolina in the semifinals.

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WATCH THIS STORY: The Greatest Comebacks in Tennis

Can Svitolina continue her dream run and win her maiden Grand Slam title? Let us know your views in the comments below.

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Written by:

Vatsal Shah

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Vatsal Shah is a tennis author at EssentiallySports. With a Bachelor's degree in engineering, he is a die hard fan of tennis and sports in general. He is an ardent follower of Rafael Nadal and is inspired by his never-say-die attitude.
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Edited by:

Arijit Saha