Elina Svitolina will be playing a Wimbledon semifinal match three months after returning from a maternity break. She defeated top-seeded Iga Swiatek 7-5, 6-7 (5), 6-2 in the quarterfinals at the All England Club on Tuesday.
The 28-year-old Ukrainian, who is married to French tennis player Gael Monfils, returned to WTA Tour in October after giving birth in April last year.
“First of all I'm going to have a beer, probably,” Svitolina said during the post-match presentation.
“At the beginning of the tournament, if someone would tell me that I will be in the semifinal and beating world No. 1, I would just say that they're crazy.”
Swiatek, who is a four-time Grand Slam winner, won the French Open in Paris last month. Considered one of the top contenders to win the grass-court title, Swiatek at one point lost 20 out of 22 points played.
Svitolina will face Marketa Vondrousova, who earlier beat No. 4 seed Jessica Pegula, in the semi-final. It will be her second Wimbledon semifinal match, after losing the 2019 match against Simona Halep.
Svitolina is currently ranked 76th in the world but once held the No. 3 spot in the WTA Rankings. On her road to the semi-finals, she has beaten four past Grand Slam champions - Venus Williams (1st Round), Sofia Kenin (3rd Round), Victoria Azarenka (4th Round) and Swiatek in the quarterfinal.
