U.S. OPEN FIRST ROUND – Anna Bondar beat Elina Svitolina 6-2, 6-4
Anna Bondar, ranked No. 97 in the world, took advantage of shaky play by No. 12 Elina Svitolina and upset the Ukrainian, 6-2, 6-4 in the first round of the U.S. Open.
Svitolina, who gave birth to a daughter in the spring of 2022, returned to the tour a year later and steadily improved her ranking. She had a solid clay season, winning a WTA 250 title in Rouen, France and advancing to the quarterfinals of the French Open, where she lost to Iga Swiatek.
But, after winning three rounds on the hard courts in Montreal, she fell in the quarters to Naomi Osaka and then lost in a first-round match to Barbora Krejcikova in Cincinnati.
Her struggles worsened against Bondar, as she committed 41 unforced errors and threw in eight double faults.
Bondar will face Greece’s Maria Sakkari in the second round.
