Svitolina Reaches Madrid Semifinals: "I Had No Particular Expectations"

Elina Svitolina is having an outstanding tournament at the WTA 1000 in Madrid. Before this year, the Ukrainian, ranked 17th in the world, had never advanced past the second round in the Spanish capital. However, she has now secured four consecutive victories—against Sonay Kartal, Elena Rybakina, Maria Sakkari, and Moyuka Uchijima—without dropping a single set.

Currently, Svitolina remains undefeated on clay in 2025 and is on an 11-match winning streak on the surface, having not conceded a single set to her opponents.

After her win against the Japanese player (6-2, 6-1), Svitolina—who will return to the top 15 next week for the first time since her pregnancy comeback—spoke at a press conference about her Madrid campaign. She expressed satisfaction with her recent form.

"I’m very pleased with my level of play so far in Madrid. Since the start of the tournament, I’ve managed to stay calm. It’s the first time I’ve really played well here. I’ve always wanted to perform well because I love this tournament and the courts.

"So I’m happy to reach the semifinals.
When you work hard, you want to play well. You want your efforts to pay off in matches. But honestly, I had no particular expectations.

"I just tried to work hard physically, to be ready for long rallies. My main goal was to avoid injuries. I know I can play well on clay—my titles in Rome (2017 and 2018) and Strasbourg (2020 and 2023) prove that," the former world No. 3 told *L'Équipe*.

In the semifinals, Svitolina will face a major test against world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka. The Ukrainian has only won one of their five previous encounters.

However, the 2018 WTA Finals champion is known for performing well against top players. She has seven career wins over world No. 1s—the most among active players.

Still, the newly crowned WTA 250 Rouen champion knows the challenge will be tough against the Belarusian, set for Thursday night on Manolo Santana Court.

"I’ve played Aryna several times last year, and we’ve had some great battles. The loss after having two match points in Rome was a huge fight on court. So yes, this will be a big challenge for me," she concluded to WTA media.