NEW YORK (Reuters) – World number five Elina Svitolina produced a solid performance to dispatch Simona Halep 6-3 6-3 in the fourth round of the U.S. Open on Sunday.
The 12th-seeded Romanian won an epic 33-shot rally in the second game but a dozen unforced errors in the first set handed Svitolina the upper hand.
The Ukrainian fended off two break points to hold serve in the seventh game, prompting a frustrated Halep to fling her racquet to the ground.
Svitolina kept up the momentum in the second set, producing three aces and winning more than 80% of her first-serve points.
She survived a number of long rallies to break the two-time Grand Slam winner’s serve in the seventh game on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The Tokyo bronze medallist said she was thrilled to topple “big fighter” Halep as she hopes to reach her first Grand Slam final at Flushing Meadows.
“We really missed you guys,” Svitolina told the fans. “It’s an unbelievable atmosphere each time… I have goosebumps right now.”
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
