Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina wore a black ribbon during her win over Wang Xinyu at Wimbledon after Russian missile strikes hit targets in cities across?Ukraine?on Monday, including Kyiv’s?Okhmatdyt hospital – the country’s largest children’s medical center – killing more than 30 people.
After an impressive 6-2 6-1 win, an emotional Svitolina struggled to get through her on-court interview after the match.
The 29-year-old received a rousing round of applause from the crowd on Court 2 as she tried to compose herself.
“It was a good performance from my side today and it’s a very difficult day today for Ukrainian people,” Svitolina said while fighting back tears.
“So it was not easy to focus on the match today and since the morning it’s very difficult to read the news and just to go onto the court is extremely tough, so I’m happy that I could play today and get a win.
“Thank you for the support.”
Svitolina, the No. 21 seed at Wimbledon, was utterly dominant in her win over Wang and needed just 55 minutes to book her place in the quarterfinals.
A semifinalist at Wimbledon last year, Svitolina hit 21 winners - including eight aces - and made just 10 unforced errors against her Chinese opponent, ranked 42nd in the world.
A ruthless Svitolina converted four of her six break point chances and she will now face 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina on Wednesday for a place in the semifinals.
Rybakina, the No. 4 seed, was involved a hard-fought contest earlier on Wednesday until opponent Anna Kalinskaya had to retire in the second set due to a wrist injury.
At least 36 people were killed across Ukraine in Russian attacks on Monday, Ukrainian authorities said.
Kyiv’s Okhmatdyt hospital has been crucial in supporting some the sickest children from across the country. Two adults were killed and 16 others – including seven children – were?injured in the attack, according to Kyiv’s mayor Vitaliy Klytchko
Some 137 people were wounded in the attacks which left nearly 100 buildings damaged.
Svitolina said being able to continue using her platform at Wimbledon to maintain awareness of the war “really motivated” her during Monday’s win.
“It’s [an] incredibly sad day today for all Ukrainians,” Svitolina said in her post-match press conference. “It was really difficult for me to really be here in a way and do anything. I just wanted to be in my room, just be there with my emotions, with everything.
“When you have these sad days where you don’t want to do anything, it was this kind of day for me. It’s difficult really to explain, I guess, because of course for us Ukrainians, it’s very close to our heart and [a] very sensitive topic, very sensitive emotions that we feel every single day.
“But today was one of the days where it was even more difficult because the missile landed on the hospital, the kids’ hospital.”
Svitolina added she had received “so many messages” after her win and said the victory was a “small light that brought a happy moment for Ukrainian people.”
Daria Tarasova-Markina in Kyiv and Sugam Pokharel in London contributed to this report.