Elina Svitolina wins the way water wears down stone, a counterpuncher who runs everything down until frustration does the work. The first Ukrainian woman inside the world's top 10, she reached a career-high No. 3 in September 2017. She has gathered 20 tour titles, the finest at the 2018 WTA Finals, where she went through the field unbeaten. The majors stayed out of reach, though in 2019 she made the last four at both Wimbledon and the US Open.
Then the story changed shape. Svitolina gave birth to her daughter in October 2022 and returned in spring 2023 to a sport at war with her country's invader. Carrying the weight of playing for Ukraine, she reached the Wimbledon semi-finals within months of returning. Against heavier hitters like Petra Kvitova and Simona Halep she turns power into patience. The Grand Slam title has not come, and the reasons to chase it only grow.
Seven. That is where Linda Noskova sits in the WTA rankings this week, five places higher than a week ago, and the reason is a Wimbledon title. She beat Karolina Muchova in the final, and the two of them now sit side by side in the top 10, where last week there was one Czech.
Ranking tale