Elina Svitolina wants to regain the cruising speed she lost at Wimbledon. After a very regular clay court tour with great results, crowned by the WTA 1000 in Rome, the Ukrainian aims to reach the final rounds again after falling in the first round of the London Grand Slam and the second round in Washington. So far, she is achieving that at the WTA Toronto 2026, where she will fight with Iga Swiatek for a spot in the final after coming back against Ekaterina Alexandrova in the quarter-finals (3-6, 6-0, 6-3).
Regarding the eighth meeting against the Polish player, with whom she has a positive head-to-head record (4-3), and her comeback against the Russian, Svitolina spoke at the post-match press conference, where she also emphasized her good form in Canada.
Elina Svitolina explained the keys to her comeback against Ekaterina Alexandrova at WTA Toronto 2026
«She was playing really well, serving almost impossible-to-return shots, to be fair. I had to try to find opportunities to see the ball better and, yes, I think focusing more on myself helped».
«She started to give me a bit more second serves, and I think that changed the momentum of the match. I found my game, and then I started to play very well from the baseline. I believe everything changed from there, starting from the first games of the second set».
Svitolina confesses what it means to face a Russian as a Ukrainian in the final stages
«I feel a bit more pressure than when playing against any other player, especially in a phase like this, a quarter-final, being the only Ukrainian left. Toronto always has many Ukrainians, but to be honest, it’s a good problem to have».
Movement that’s out of this world 🌎 @ElinaSvitolina | #NBO26 pic.twitter.com/8eUF3CgwGC
— wta (@WTA) August 11, 2026
«The support I get is incredible, feeling that they are behind me. It also inspires me. Not only when I step on the court but also when I’m sitting and not feeling very well, I keep searching for a way. So they really support me in those moments and help me not to disappoint my country».
Svitolina will seek her third consecutive victory over Swiatek
«We have played many times. We’ve also trained together many times. We know each other’s games very well. We had a great match; I think from my side it was a great encounter; I won’t judge from her side, but we had a great match in Rome. For me, it will be important to stay physically strong. There will be many long rallies. Tomorrow I will work on some things, some tactical aspects. It’s good to have a day to prepare some details for the semifinal».
Playing in Washington helped Svitolina gain exposure ahead of Toronto
«It’s hard to say because I had a terrible match, well, not terrible, but complicated. So I don’t know if I would say it helped. But to be honest, that was the idea. Because I didn’t play very well at Wimbledon, and I wanted to get back to hard courts as soon as possible to find my rhythm. The transition from clay to grass and then to hard can be challenging».
«So I think I found my level a bit later in the tournament, and now I’m playing well. I’m happy with the way I’m competing, and that puts me in a good position».
Svitolina knows exactly what she has to do to beat Swiatek in the semifinals of WTA 1000 Canada 2026
«The things I can control are my mentality and taking it one point at a time. She is also a great fighter and has brought that competitive spirit, those great intentions, and that courage to many titles. So it will be about trying to find the keys against her game, looking for specific patterns that might work against her.»
«We are at the highest level of women’s tennis. We all know how to hit forehands and backhands, so it’s about setting up different playing patterns between each other and trying to perform the best we can that day,» concludes a Elina Svitolina who seeks to regain her confidence by reaching another WTA 1000 final.
This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Svitolina ya prepara su duelo contra Swiatek: «Conocemos muy bien cada una el juego de la otra»