Ukraine’s first racket Elina Svitolina He answered questions about the issue at a press conference Alexandra Oleynikova – Playing style and position regarding the presence of Russian and Belarusian players in the tour:
“Oleynikova’s style of play? She brings something new to the game. There are few players like that and it’s always interesting to watch how they set up play, how they create play. It’s very impressive for her to start like this in her first Grand Slam, playing well in her own way. This is very uncomfortable tennis. I think she will be a particularly difficult opponent on clay and you will have to work really hard to beat her.”
Oleynikova’s words regarding the suspension of Russian and Belarusian tennis players? The war has been going on for four years. We’ve talked about this many times, and for me it’s already… gone away. “The decisions have been made by the WTA and now we can just go out there and try to perform well, we can represent our country properly, we can use our voice to attract attention, we can help and remember we can also use our voice to draw attention to our homeland.”
On January 21, Svitolina defeated Linda Klimovicheva and reached the 1/16 final at the Australian Open. Oleynikova lost to major champion Madison Keys in the first round the day before and narrowly missed the first set.
I am a sports journalist who has worked in print and online. I have authored articles for a sports website and have covered sports news for over 6 years.
(Melbourne) Quentin Halys, 83e world, held up well, but did not find the solution against the Russian Daniil Medvedev (12e) who won 6-7 (9/11), 6-3, 6-4, 6-2, Wednesday in the second round of the Australian Open.
The triple finalist in Melbourne (2021, 2022, 2024), beaten last year in the second round, will face the Hungarian Fabian Marozsan (47e) to try to climb into 8are of final.
After snatching the first set, Halys achieved the entry break in the second set and had three balls at 40/0 to lead 3-1.
But instead, the Russian chained five points in a row to get back to 2-2 and dominate the rest of the round. And the game ended with an ace.
Halys therefore does not equal his best Grand Slam result, obtained three times by reaching the third round at Wimbledon (2023, 2024) and Roland-Garros (2025).
PHOTO PAUL CROCK, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Quentin Halys
“Quentin played very well and I’m happy to have played at a good level to win,” commented Medvedev who believes he is not yet playing as well as in Brisbane where he won before coming to Melbourne where he is “struggling” to adapt to the courts.
“His forehand was very dangerous, even at the end when he was tired. But I dug deep and managed to prevail,” he added.
“It’s been over a year since I last got past the second round of a Grand Slam tournament, so I’m happy,” he added with a laugh.
He indeed played in the quarter-finals of the United States Open in 2024, where he won his only Grand Slam title to date in 2021, before falling in the second round in Melbourne in 2025 then in the first at Roland-Garros, Wimbledon and Flushing Meadows.
“Above all, I need to rebuild my confidence. If I win five more matches here (and therefore the title, Editor’s note), it will be great. But I will take the matches one after the other,” he concluded.
I am a sports journalist who has worked in print and online. I have authored articles for a sports website and have covered sports news for over 6 years.
I am a sports journalist who has written for a number of Sportish. I have a background in journalism and have been writing since I was young. My main focus is sports news, but I also write about general news. I am currently working as an author at Sportish.
Ukraine’s first racket Elina Svitolina She held a press conference after defeating Linda Klimovicheva in the second round of the 2026 Australian Open:
– Elina, congratulations on your victory. How does it feel to get to the third round again?
– Yes, I am very happy. This is certainly a good start to the year. The first set was not easy, but after that I felt quite confident on the court. It’s nice to get back on track.
– If we talk about the end of the first set; Everything was very smooth before the break, then you served in the set. How did you approach this moment with the score of 6:5?
“I expected the first set to be difficult, and I realized that my opponent would also play well. Young players usually come on the court very excited, they have beaten a lot of winners and are very motivated. At such moments you need to be patient, use your experience, stay in the match, “go deep” and try to take the first set. After that, if the game continues, it becomes a little easier. So it was good to get this set.”
– You took a break at the end of last season and said you were exhausted. Is it more physical fatigue or mental fatigue?
-More like mental. Physically, of course, you get tired after months of playing at a high level, but psychologically I was a bit “off”. Sometimes you need to take a step back, get away for a bit, to regroup and come back with renewed energy.
– How different do you feel now compared to August-September? Do you feel like a different player? Was that pause the reason you’re playing so well now?
– Without a doubt. If I had pushed myself to finish the season, I probably wouldn’t have started this year in Australia. I would be completely “dead” mentally and physically. In that mental state I could have gotten injured because when you push yourself and play at the highest level with my style of play, it really pushes you beyond your limits.
It was important for me to step back. Yes, I’m sorry I didn’t give myself a chance to compete for the Final Tournament or get back into the top 10, but it was the right decision. Now I feel fitter and ready for difficult situations during matches. And I think the games I had in Auckland a few years ago where I was faced with difficult situations showed me that I was willing to accept the fact that sometimes things don’t go to plan and you have to fight, dig deep and find a way to win.
– Did you watch Oleynikova’s match against Madison Keys yesterday?
– Unfortunately there were only a few draws because I was training at the time.
– What do you think of his playing style? It’s rare to see players playing such unconventional and unorthodox tennis these days.
– Yes, of course it brings something new to the game. There are several players of this type and it is always interesting to watch how they create games, how they create the game. It’s very impressive for him to start his first Grand Slam like this, playing well in his own way. This is very uncomfortable tennis. I think he will be a particularly difficult opponent on clay and you will have to work really hard to beat him.
– After the match, Oleinikova said that she found it wrong that Russian and Belarusian players were allowed to participate in tournaments while they were excluded from other sports. Do you agree with this?
– The war has been going on for four years. We’ve talked about this many times, and for me it’s already… gone away. The decisions have been made by the WTA and now we can just go out there and try to perform well, we can represent our country properly, we can use our voice to attract attention, we can help and remember, we can use our voice to draw attention to our homeland.
I am a sports journalist who has worked in print and online. I have authored articles for a sports website and have covered sports news for over 6 years.
