But her recovery went to script, and her first tournament since that harrowing US Open couldn’t be going better – she’s into the last eight in Melbourne for the first time since 2019.
The 28th seed dropped one set through her first four matches, including against fourth seed Jasmine Paolini in the third round – ultimately toppling the Italian. She’s relatively fresh, notching five hours and 54 minutes on court, roughly an hour less than her next opponent, 19th seed Madison Keys.
“I’m really happy with my fitness, I’m really happy with the way I’ve been handling tough physical matches.”
For Svitolina, every victory carries enhanced meaning: her nation has been at war for almost three years and she derives motivation…