10th consecutive win for Svitolina, into Madrid quarterfinals for the first time

Right now, Elina Svitolina is in top form. The Ukrainian, who climbed back to No. 17 in the WTA rankings this week, is on a nine-match winning streak since her Round of 16 loss to Iga Swiatek at the WTA 1000 in Miami.

If we include her two Billie Jean King Cup matches for Ukraine, she hasn’t dropped a single set since that defeat to the Pole. Having never advanced past the second round in Madrid before this year, Svitolina has now strung together wins against Sonay Kartal (6-3, 6-1) and Elena Rybakina (6-3, 6-4).

Facing Maria Sakkari, she aimed to extend her strong run. In their first meeting since the Tokyo Olympics four years ago—and their first on clay—Svitolina remained composed throughout the match.

Despite a slight dip in focus midway through the second set, the 2018 WTA Finals champion prevailed over the Greek, who had been having a solid tournament (6-3, 6-4 in 1h37).

Earlier, Sakkari, who had fallen outside the top 80, had knocked out Wang Xinyu, Magda Linette, and Jasmine Paolini. This marks Svitolina’s third win against Sakkari in their five meetings.

In the quarterfinals, Elina Svitolina—who just secured her 21st win of the 2025 season—will face either Moyuka Uchijima or Ekaterina Alexandrova, who are currently battling in the Round of 16.