Ukraine’s first racket Elina Svitolina (WTA 12) held a flash interview on the court after defeating Mirra Andreeva in the fourth round match at the 2026 Australian Open:
– This is truly incredible. I am very happy with my performance today, I had to fight until the last point. It was an extremely tense match and I am very happy with my performance.
– You played with Mira last year and lost to her. What did you do to win today? The second set was very competitive. What do you think you did well today?
“I was expecting a tough fight and a lot of long rallies. I tried to move really well today, tried to stay very focused and tried to find the little weak points in his game, tried to exploit them.”
– You seemed very calm today. You weren’t calm, but you were very focused and concentrated. You said that your husband, Gael Monfils, tells you that sometimes you should be more relaxed. This was his advice. Looks like you actually followed that advice today.
– I wasn’t very comfortable today (laughs). So he won’t be happy, but I think he might be happy with my victory today. The saddest thing is when you lose matches. For most of your career you lose games every week and you have to recover, get back on the field and try to work, try again the next week and try to play better the next week.
– After the first round you had some time and played throughout the day. You said you had time and you were going to take Gael’s credit card and go shopping. Apparently it worked because you won. Maybe you should keep doing this. How will this affect Gail’s credit card?
– I’m not sure we’ll see him in the next match. It needs to fly away. These are the enjoyable moments we spend together both on and off the field. So of course it’s great to have him by my side.
– Your daughter Skye is still young. He may not be boxing, but can you tell me a little about him? Will you celebrate with him today? What will it look like?
– We will communicate with the whole family via FaceTime. Luckily it’s daytime in Europe, so we can do this and enjoy this moment together. He knows we play tennis and it’s our job, but he thinks all parents play tennis professionally (laughs). This is of course nice, but I think he will be an athlete one day. Let’s see how it will be for him.
– So will we see trainer Elina and trainer Gael in boxing?
– Maybe in another sport. I think tennis will be too much for us (laughs).
– To relax. You still have a lot of tennis ahead of you. See you in the quarter finals.
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) American Madison Keys, reigning tournament champion, was eliminated from the Australian Open tennis tournament by her compatriot Jessica Pegula on Monday.
Pegula, seeded sixth, defeated Keys (N.9) in two sets of 6-3, 6-4 at the Rod Laver Arena, thus reaching the quarterfinals.
Pegula, who has never won a Grand Slam tournament, won the first set in just 32 minutes, after taking an early 4-1 lead.
She also broke Keys’ serve to start the second, taking a 4-1 lead again. The clash ended when the defending champion sent a forehand into the net.
PHOTO JAIMI JOY, REUTERS
Madison Keys
Pegula was excellent with the precision of her serve and she kept the ball in play with only a few unforced errors.
The two players had previously crossed swords on three occasions, and Keys had won the last two.
Pegula reached the final of the 2024 US Open, but lost to Aryna Sabalenka. This will be his fourth quarter-final appearance at Melbourne Park.
Pegula and Keys are good friends and host a podcast together. Keys previously said it would be the “first ever Grand Slam match between two podcast co-hosts.”
In the evening in Melbourne, the Polish Iga Swiatek (N.2) will face the Australian Maddison Inglis.
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 worked in print and online. I have authored articles for a sports website and have covered sports news for over 6 years.
According to media reports, Serena Williams is considering a sensational return to professional tennis after a four-year break.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion retired in 2022, avoiding the word “retirement” and saying only that he was “moving away” from the sport.
Her last match took place at the 2022 US Open, where she lost to Ajla Tomljanovic. Williams’ re-entry into the anti-doping pool last December fueled rumors of a comeback. Although Serena later denied her return, The Telegraph’s sources claim that the tennis community is not buying it and believes Serena can still compete at WTA level.
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Williams will be eligible to return to Roland Garros this summer, including mixed doubles, with possible options at Wimbledon or the US Open. Her older sister Venus continues to perform at the age of 45, increasing interest in Serena’s possible return.
Former champion Jim Courier is confident that Williams will definitely be back on the field if injuries are not a problem; The only question is the format and tournament.
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.
