Rybakina marches past Svitolina into French Open quarter-finals

[June 03, 2024]  PARIS (Reuters) - World number four Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan eased to a 6-4 6-3 victory over Ukraine's Elena Svitolina on Monday to reach her second French Open quarter-final.
 
After a sluggish start with both players dropping serve, Russian-born Rybakina upped her level up and cruised through the first set.   

Tennis - French Open - Roland Garros, Paris, France - June 3, 2024 Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina shakes hands with Ukraine's Elina Svitolina after winning her fourth round match REUTERS/Yves Herman

In the second set, the 29-year-old Svitolina was no match again for Rybakina as the 19th-ranked Ukrainian showed signs of fatigue from the start and lacked precision throughout.

Odessa-born Svitolina had reached the quarter-finals four times before, including 2023, but was unable to trouble the former Wimbledon champion.

Rybakina, who made the last-eight for the first time since 2021, faces the winner of the match between 70th-ranked Russian Elina Avanesyan and 15th-ranked Italian Jasmine Paolini.

(Reporting by Sybille de La Hamaide, editing by Ed Osmond)

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