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Elina Svitolina broke down in tears after winning her fourth round match at Wimbledon after at least 20 Ukrainians were killed following a major Russian missile attack on Kyiv.
Many more were left injured on Monday, officials said, with one missile striking a large children’s hospital in the capital Kyiv.
Svitolina played with a black ribbon on her white top throughout the match on No.2 Court, with the 21st seed triumphing over Xinyu Wang 6-2, 6-1 after a fine performance.
And as emergency crews search the rubble for casualties back in Ukraine after the latest Russian barrage, Svitolina opened up on court about the difficulty in playing under the circumstances.
”For sure it was a good performance from my side,” Svitolina said, acknowledging her team courtside, including her partner and fellow player Gael Monfils. “It's a very difficult day today for Ukrainian people.”
A long pause then followed with the Wimbledon crowd applauding Svitolina before many loudly cheered the former semi-finalist.
“It was not easy to focus on the match. Since the morning, it’s very difficult to read the news, just to go on the court... I'm happy I could play today and get a win.”
Svitolina would tap her chest in appreciation for her reception before departing No.2 Court.
She will play Russia-born Kazakh Elena Rybakina in the quarter-finals next.
