Elina Svitolina crushed Wimbledon finalist Amanda Anisimova 6:4, 6:1 to secure her spot in the quarterfinals of the prestigious Montreal tournament with a $5.1 million prize pool. Ukraine's top tennis star needed just 1 hour and 26 minutes to dismantle the world number nine on the Canadian hard courts.
"I'm taking each match one step at a time, focusing on my game plan," Svitolina likely told her team after the commanding performance.
The Ukrainian showed impressive serving throughout the match, firing four aces while converting four of seven break point opportunities. She did commit three double faults, but they hardly affected the outcome of this one-sided contest.
Svitolina now faces experienced Japanese player Naomi Osaka in what promises to be a fascinating quarterfinal matchup. The two have quite a history, having met seven times previously - all on hard courts, the same surface used in Montreal. While Svitolina holds three victories in their head-to-head battles, Osaka has claimed the two most recent encounters, including last year's match in Miami where the Japanese star prevailed 6:2, 7:6.
Interestingly, Svitolina's best result in Montreal came back in 2018 when she reached the semifinals. Could this be the year she goes even further? The Ukrainian certainly seems in form, having not dropped a single set so far in this tournament.
By the way, Svitolina's path to this quarterfinal included a convincing victory over Russian Anna Kalinskaya in the previous round, showing her consistent level throughout the competition. Can she maintain this momentum against the always dangerous Osaka?
