FERNANDINA BEACH | Elina Svitolina wanted solely seven phrases to explain her first encounter with Northeast Florida tennis.
“It was day for us,” she stated.
Was it ever.
A house staff greater than 5,000 miles from residence, Ukraine did not let the gap or the wind drive them off target, taking the primary two matches from Romania in Friday’s opening singles of the Billie Jean King Cup girls’s tennis match at Racquet Park contained in the Omni Amelia Island advanced.
For the Ukrainians, compelled to play their residence matches on the street due to Russia’s invasion, Friday was a show of grit within the face of decided Romanian opposition and swirling, unpredictable gusts throughout the green-clay courts off the Atlantic Coast.
After the singles wins for Lesia Tsurenko and Svitolina, Ukraine want solely win certainly one of Saturday’s three scheduled matches — two singles and one doubles — to punch their tickets for November’s eight-team finals in Spain for the game’s premier worldwide competitors.
A tall process stays for the Romanians, however captain Horia Tecau is not shedding coronary heart.
“I imagine we are able to come again stronger tomorrow, change this and convey this to a deciding match,” he stated.
SINGLES MATCH ONE: TSURENKO SEIZES COMMAND
No four-hour marathon this time.
Tsurenko discovered a devastating rhythm halfway via the second set, powering Ana Bogdan of Romania 3-6, 6-2, 6-0 within the opening match.
One yr after the 2 performed a record-breaking tiebreaker at Wimbledon, a match that dragged on for some 4 hours in London, Tsurenko wanted solely about half the time to drag away for the victory as Bogdan sputtered down the stretch.
With Bogdan showing to fade within the third set, Tsurenko cruised to the end, profitable her final seven video games to notch the Ukrainians’ first level.
Stat of the match: What service benefit? The 2 mixed to interrupt in seven consecutive video games within the opening set.
Recreation of the match: The fourth recreation of the second set, and it was a battle. Up 2-1 within the set, Tsurenko clawed again from a 15-40 gap to grab a two-game edge.
Level of the match: Up 3-1 within the second set however trailing 0-40 to Bogdan, Tsurenko responded with 5 consecutive factors, the final a punishing backhand to the far nook that swung the momentum.
They stated it: “The start of the match, I used to be not likely taking part in my recreation and I used to be doing a number of errors. However then, I simply stayed constructive inside. I used to be telling good issues to myself and I used to be not getting any adverse ideas about myself. In order that was the important thing.” — Tsurenko
SINGLES MATCH TWO: SVITOLINA LEADS UKRAINE AGAIN
The rating confirmed Svitolina as a straight-sets victor over Romania’s Jaqueline Cristian, 6-3, 7-5, however the actuality was removed from routine.
Cristian, coming off a quarterfinal run finally week’s Charleston Open to vault into the world prime 75, confirmed off her appreciable energy and made the previous WTA Finals champion struggle all the way in which.
Svitolina, Ukraine’s No. 1 participant and a former world No. 3, wanted to drag all the things out of the toolbox — drop photographs, lobs and the like — to outlast Cristian within the second set.
“She tried to struggle every level, each time,” Ukraine captain Mikhail Filima stated.
Stat of the match: Cristian created quite a few break level alternatives however struggled to place them away, going 23% on break factors.
Recreation of the match: Cristian appeared like shifting in entrance within the seventh recreation of the second set, which was knotted 3-3 earlier than the Romanian grabbed a 15-40 benefit. However Svitolina dug deep to claw again to deuce after which sealed the sport with a pinpoint backhand winner.
Level of the match: Svitolina saved her greatest for final. With match level and Cristian serving down 30-40, Svitolina unleashed a vigorous return to clinch the victory.
They stated it: “I dealt with my nerves fairly good. I used to be taking part in properly on the details, and I feel that is why I received to win at the moment.” — Svitolina
This text initially appeared on Florida Instances-Union: Billie Jean King Cup: Ukraine-Romania Day 1 in Fernandina Seashore
