July 1, 2021: Elina Svitolina of the Ukraine in action during the second round of the 2021 Wimbledon Championships Grand Slam tennis tournament against Magda Linette of Poland - ZUMAa181 20210701_zaa_a181_231 Copyright: xRobxPrangex
Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina will face Erin Routliffe in the second round of the WTA Strasbourg tournament
Elina Svitolina has had a rapid decline in her career graph and is currently ranked 540 in the WTA singles rankings. She is currently playing the WTA 250 Strasbourg Open as a part of her preparations for the French Open. Svitolina has been in terrible form of late with the exception of the WTA 125 Saint-Malow event last week, where she made it to the semi-finals.
Svitolina has carried forward her good form from Saint-Malo to Strasbourg and showed her class in the opening round. She registered a comprehensive 6-4, 7-6 win over Louisa Chirico of the US in her first match. There’s a lot at stake for Svitolina, especially after a dismal year so far and she will aim to be on the top of her game heading to the clay-court Grand Slam. The Strasbourg tournament is an ideal warm-up event for the French Open and she will look to make the most of this opportunity.
Kiwi star Erin Routliffe is a specialist doubles player, but she has done well in singles so far in the tournament. She overcame two rounds of qualifiers to progress to the main draw at Strasbourg. In her opening match, Routliffe best Hseih Su-Wei 7-6, 1-6, 6-1 in a hard-fought clash. She will be high on confidence but definitely not complacent. The task only gets tougher from here on for Routliffe and it remains to be seen how she manages the demands of the doubles, and the singles draw.
Date – Wednesday, 24th May
Court Type – Clay outdoor surface
Telecast – Tennis Channel
Start Time – To be Announced
Location – Strasbourg
Match details – Round of 16
Svitolina and Routliffe have never played each other before on the WTA tour. This is the first professional head-to-head clash between the two players. On paper, Svitolina is the favourite both in terms of form and rankings. However, one can certainly not rule out the Kiwi veteran and she is expected to put up a tough fight. We are predicting a close match with Svitolina eventually winning in three sets.
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