Elina Svitolina Gives Eye-Watering Figure Raised to Change Lives for Ukraine’s War-Affected Children

Elina Svitolina knocked out Jasmine Paolini to schedule a quarterfinal clash with defending champion Iga Swiatek at the Roland Garros.

Elina Svitolina Gives Eye-Watering Figure Raised to Change Lives for Ukraine’s War-Affected Children

Elina Svitolina (Image via X/Elina Monfils)

Elina Svitolina‘s foundation has raised over a million dollars since Ukraine’s war with Russia started in 2022. She has always used her platform to raise awareness about the lives of the people in her country ravaged by war. She now aims to put her focus on the children by providing them a platform that can make them forget about the war so that they can “disconnect for a moment and just be children“.

Svitolina is in Paris participating in the French Open and moved into the quarterfinals for the fifth time. She came from a set down to secure a hard-fought battle against last year’s French Open runner-up Jasmine Paolini 6-4, 7-6(6), 6-1 in two hours and 24 minutes after saving three match points. Following her victory, the Ukrainian talked about her foundation and how it’s helping the children in her country.

Like through my foundation, I try to give them the opportunity to continue playing sport. To continue dreaming. To continue training. To have just this one or two hours a day where they can enjoy the sport. Where they can just switch off for this moment and be just kids. Kids who are not in a war. Kids like in the States. Kids like here in France who can just simply enjoy sport.

Elina Svitolina said at the press conference

Svitolina, who also ended Paolini’s nine-match winning streak, has never progressed beyond the quarterfinals here. She is also chasing her first Grand Slam title, producing her best in the events of his category when she reached the Wimbledon semifinals (in 2019 and 2023) and the US Open semifinal in 2019.

Svitolina now holds a 2-0 win-loss record over the reigning Italian Open champion. Before the French Open, they met in the third round of the Australian Open this season, which Svitolina won in three sets.

Elina Svitolina to face Iga Swiatek in the French Open quarterfinals

Elina Svitolina has a huge challenge in front of her in the form of three-time defending champion Iga Swiatek, had secured a spot in the quarterfinals after an epic comeback win over Elena Rybakina. The five-time Grand Slam champion has met the 30-year-old four times, winning three of those matches.

Iga Swiatek
Iga Swiatek (Image via X/WTA Insider)

This year, they met in the fourth round of the Miami Open which Swiatek won after a tough first set. The only victory Svitolina claimed over the 24-year-old was in the quarterfinal of the 2023 Wimbledon. After her win, Swiatek admitted that the match against Svitolina would be a challenge.

She is a great fighter, she plays every point like it means life or death. So, we played a great match in Miami this year and for sure it’s gonna be a challenge. Anybody, who’s at this age of the tournament already played great, so…I’ll focus on myself and I’ll be ready.

Iga Swiatek told Mats Wilander during the on-court interview

Swiatek improved her head-to-head record over the Kazakh ace to 5-4 and is on a 25-match winning streak in the tournament. She is also 39-2 in the clay-court event and arrived in Paris without a title for the first time since 2020.

Swiatek has also equaled Monica Seles‘ record of 25 consecutive wins at the French Open. If she wins, she will tie the record with Bjorn Borg with 28 straight wins.

While Swiatek is searching for her first title of the season, Svitolina is 18-2 on the surface thanks to her successful run in Rouen in April. The Pole hasn’t yet won a tournament since clinching her fourth Roland Garros title last year and also has yet to progress to a championship match.

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