Elina Svitolina, Ukraine's top-ranked tennis player, secured her spot in the quarterfinals by defeating the "neutral" Russian player Daria Kasatkina in the Washington Open, Suspilne Sport reported on Aug. 2.
The Svitolina-Kasatkina match lasted just over one and a half hours. The Ukrainian player didn't lose any of her serves throughout the match and won with identical scores in each set, 6:2 both times.
The meeting between Svitolina and Kasatkina marked their eighth time competing against each other. Notably, Svitolina secured wins in all seven previous matches.
Svitolina kicked off her campaign in Washington, a WTA500 tournament, with a victory against another neutral tennis player, Victoria Azarenka of Belarus.
As is customary of Svitolina and other Ukrainian athletes, the tennis champion declined to shake hands with either Azarenka or Kasatkina following the match.
Elina Svitolina's opponent in the quarterfinals will be decided by the outcome of the "American derby" showdown between Jessica Pegula (the top seed in the tournament) and Peyton Sterns.
Maria Yeryoma
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