Svitolina and Azarenka to meet again in first round of Washington event

A month after their clash at Wimbledon, the pair will go head to head again on the WTA Tour

Chryslene Caillaud/Panoramic

July 28, 2023

It was one of the most emotive and emotional moments of Wimbledon; Elina Svitolina‘s win over Victoria Azarenka in the quarter-finals as the Ukrainian continued her stunning resurgence.

Following her run to the quarters at the French Open, making the semis at Wimbledon was more evidence that Svitolina is a woman on a mission as the former world No 3 returns from having her first child, but also trying to win matches and tournaments for Ukraine as her country continues to fight against the invasion by Russia.

The women’s singles draw is LIVE 🔥

Who will take the title 🏆#MubadalaCitiDCOpen pic.twitter.com/ARSbTvaUOu

— Mubadala Citi DC Open (@mubadalacitidc) July 28, 2023

And just a few weeks after their battle on the grass, which Svitolina won in three sets, the pair will do battle again, this time in the first round of the Citi Open in Washington.

Wimbledon clash fresh in the memory

Both players are unseeded for the loaded event, which has Jessica Pegula as the No 1 seed. Whoever wins between Ukrainian Svitolina and Belarusian Azarenka – and remember, there will be no handshake, just as we saw happen at Wimbledon (where Azarenka was booed by a small section of the crowd who did not know what was going on) – could play Russian Daria Kasatkina.

Svitolina and Kasatkina share an agent and plenty of respect, with Kasatkina openly speaking out against the war. The pair met on court at the French Open, with Svitolina coming out on top.

Pegula will begin her title bid against either former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin or a qualifier.

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