WHAT HAPPENED: On a warm Wednesday night under the lights of Stadium 17, No. 27 seed Elina Svitolina eased past Ukrainian compatriot Anhelina Kalinina, 6-1, 6-2, to advance to the third round of the US Open for the eighth time.
Svitolina had claimed both of their previous encounters coming into the match—though to be fair, Kalinina was just 16 years old when they first met at an ITF tournament in Ukraine in 2013. Still, in the early exchanges, Svitolina sat securely in the driver’s seat, smacking returns and then sending the ball to the corners to exploit her opponent’s movement. She broke Kalinina at her first opportunity and nearly went up a double break; the pair played a protracted 10-minute, six-deuce game that Kalinina finally won on her sixth attempt. To add insult to injury, Kalinina could make no inroads on the Svitolina serve. The 2019 semifinalist was in the zone on that shot, hitting five aces and winning 18 of 20 first-serve points. The game Kalinina fought so hard to secure would ultimately be the only one she’d win in the first set.
Her fortunes did not improve in the second. Once again, Svitolina broke immediately, ending an extended 14-point rally with a backhand overhead winner at the net. Down a double break at 0-3, Kalinina hit a beauty of a backhand-down-the-line winner to set up a break-point opportunity in hopes of getting one break back. The chance was immediately snuffed out with an equally impressive winner by her opponent on the next point. It was just that kind of match. Svitolina advanced after just 77 minutes.
WHAT IT MEANS: This summer, Svitolina reunited with former coach Andrew Bettles, and if this result is any indication, the reunion seems to be working. She’ll have a tough test in the third round, however—facing Coco Gauff, as the American continues to defend her title. The pair are tied 1-1 in their head-to-head, though the world No. 3 claimed their most recent meeting, in the Auckland final in January. Svitolina’s one win came at the Australian Open back in 2021, when Gauff was 16.
MATCH POINT: Svitolina hit 27 winners in this match, including eight aces.
