Ukraine's Elina Svitolina celebrates winning the Strasbourg International title Saturday AFPSvitolina, chasing her maiden Grand Slam title, will meet Gracheva in the first round of the French OpenWorld No 5 Elina Svitolina held off a spirited challenge from Elena Rybakina to lift the Strasbourg International title with a 6-4 1-6 6-2 win Saturday. Second seed Svitolina, the 2010 French Open junior champion, will return to Roland Garros next week on the back of her fifth claycourt triumph in as many finals. In chilly conditions, the Ukrainian fended off eight of the 10 break points faced in a hard-fought encounter and made only 23 unforced errors in comparison to Rybakina’s 34. After losing the second set, Svitolina responded in the opening game of the decider by saving four break points before racing away with the final four games to seal victory in just under two hours. Svitolina, chasing her maiden Grand Slam title, will meet Russian Varvara Gracheva in the first round of the French Open.

Source: Dhaka Tribune September 26, 2020 16:07 UTC