Elina Svitolina saved seven match points before beating 19-year-old Tereza Valentová 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-0 in the second round of the 2026 Cincinnati Open on Sunday night.
Elina Svitolina Fights Back in Thrilling 2nd Set
The No. 8 seed was one game from an early exit exit. Valentová served for the match at 5-4 and pushed the Ukrainian to five match points, then earned two more at 6-5. Somehow, Svitolina erased all seven.
Match momentum swung hard after that. Svitolina took the tiebreak 7-5, then rolled through the decider without dropping a game. She then reeled off six straight games to force a third set, refusing to let the teenager find the lead again.
"It was not an easy night for me, but it ended up good, I'm very happy," Svitolina told the crowd afterward.
"Thank you so much for cheering for me even when I was match points down. You really kept pushing for me and I really felt it. I kept fighting and got rewarded for that."
Svitolina Charts Tough 2026 Cincinnati Open Path
The 2-hour, 22-minute escape came despite some physical discomfort that hampered the Ukrainian standout mid-match. Her players box urged her to keep fighting, and she did. Up next, Svitolina will face China's Xiyu Wang in Cincinnati Open's third round.
