Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals on July 8, defeating Wang Xinyu of China 6-2, 6-1.
Svitolina won her match in just 55 minutes, slamming eight aces and 21 winners to just 10 unforced errors.
Svitolina went on the court, wearing a black stripe to commemorate all the victims of Russia's morning mass missile attack on Ukraine.
Earlier in the day, Russian forces carried out mass missile and drone attacks across Ukraine, targeting the cities of Kyiv, Dnipro, Kryvyi Rih, Sloviansk, and Kramatorsk.
At least 28 civilians were killed, and over 100 suffered injuries, according to the State Emergency Service. The July 8 attack has been the deadliest in months.
"For sure, it was a good performance from my side today. Today is a very difficult day for the Ukrainian people," Svitolina said in a post-match commentary and burst into tears on the court.
"It was not easy to focus on the match today. Since morning, it has been very difficult to read the news. Going into the court was pretty tough. So, I am happy I could play today and get a win," she added.
Svitolina has reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals for the third time in her career. Svitolina showed her best results at Wimbledon in 2019 and 2023, reaching the semifinals.
In the next round, Ukrainian will face Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan. In their last meeting, Rybakina defeated Svitolina 6-4, 6-3 at this year's Roland Garros.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
