PARIS: Friday was a day of stark storylines at the French Open. Aryna Sabalenka rode home on scads of winners, while Elina Svitolina, the comeback mom, playing tennis and using her strokes to fight for Ukraine in a different frontline, clinched victory and made an epic statement. Svitolina in summary pastels, ran with everything she had, outlasting the battling Russian Anna Blinkova 2-6, 6-2, 7-5 on the scenic Court Simonne-Mathieu.
The full-house, led by her husband Gael Monfils, backed Svitolina, ranked just inside the top-200. The 28-year-old broke Blinkova in the 11th game of the decider and went out match. She sealed it in the third time of calling with a blazing two-handed backhand down-the-line she had no business getting to, never mind making. Svitolina, who was almost on her haunches when swinging for it, settled there, face in her palms.
