‘I was on a mission for my country’: Elina Svitolina defeats Russian rival Anastasia Potapova

Elina Svitolina said she was ‘on a mission for my country’ after donning the yellow and blue colours of her homeland, Ukraine, to beat Russia’s Anastasia Potapova of Russia 6-2, 6-1 on Tuesday in the opening round of the Monterrey Open.

Top-seeded Svitolina earlier said she wouldn’t play against Potapova in Mexico or against any Russian or Belarusian opponents until the International Tennis Federation and the men’s and women’s tennis tours barred competitors from those countries using any national symbols, flags or anthems.

The tennis governing bodies issued a statement Tuesday confirming that Russian and Belarusian players will still be allowed to compete at the top level, but without national flags.

‘Today it was a very special match for me,’ the 27-year-old Svitolina said. ‘I’m in a very sad mood, but I’m happy that I´m playing tennis here.

‘I was focused. I was on a mission for my country,’ she said. ‘From the beginning, it was important to be ready for anything that comes my way.’

Svitolina is a two-time Grand Slam semifinalist with 16 career tour-level singles titles who has been ranked as high as No. 3 and is currently No. 15.

The 27-year-old revealed that she decided she could make more of an impact by playing tennis than boycotting the event. 

‘All the prize money that I´m going to earn is going to be for the Ukrainian army,’ said Svitolina, who won this tournament in 2020. The Monterrey Open has $31,000 in prize money for the champion.

Svitolina, who broke serve in the first and third games on the way to a lopsided win over Potapova in 64 minutes, will play against Viktoriya Tomova in the second round.

Elina Svitolina earned a straight sets win over Anastasia Potapova in the first round in Mexico

The No 1 seed wore blue and yellow – the colours of her nation – for her game on Tuesday night

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine entered its sixth day on Tuesday, with a huge convoy of Russian tanks and armored vehicles on a road to the capital, Kyiv, and fighting intensifying there and in other big cities.

Russia shelled several key sites in Kyiv and in the country’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, killing at least 11 people and wounding dozens of others, Ukrainian officials said.

In her social media post Monday, Svitolina said her objective in demanding tennis follow the International Olympic Committee’s lead and insist that players from Russia and Belarus are only identified as ‘neutral athletes’ was not against individual competitors.

‘I do not blame any of the Russian athletes,’ Svitolina wrote. ‘They are not responsible for the invasion of our motherland.’ 

Svitolina took on Russia’s Anastasia Potapova (above) who played under a neutral flag

The 27-year-old said she was ‘on a mission for my country’ during her match on Tuesday night