Svitolina reached the round of 16 of the WTA 1000 in Dubai.

Ukraine’s number one tennis player , Elina Svitolina (WTA 9), made a successful start at the WTA 1000 Dubai tournament in the UAE.

In the 1/16 finals match, the Ukrainian, seeded seventh, defeated Spaniard Paula Badosa (WTA 70) – 6:4, RET.

Svitolina started the match poorly and was losing 1:4, but managed to turn the tide of the game, winning five games in a row and taking the first set 6:4.

After the game, Badosa took a medical timeout, called a physiotherapist onto the court, and subsequently withdrew from the match due to problems with her left hip.

This was the third time the tennis players had met in person, and for the third time the Ukrainian had won.

In the round of 16, Svitolina will face Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic (WTA No. 13). Her opponent in the previous round, Czech Sara Bejlek , withdrew from the competition.

This was Svitolina’s 14th match in 2026 and 12th victory. This season, she has lost only to Aryna Sabalenka ( Australian Open quarterfinal) and Anna Kalinskaya (WTA 1000 tournament third round in Doha).

This is Svitolina’s 11th appearance in Dubai. The Ukrainian won the title there in 2017 and 2018.

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