lina Svitolina revealed that she was a bit surprised by Naomi Osaka’s high-quality performance against Iga Swiatek in the second round of the 2024 French Open. Swiatek defeated the Japanese 7-6(1), 1-6, 7-5 in two hours and 57 minutes in a high-octane thriller.

Osaka, who returned to tennis this year after a prolonged absence due to her pregnancy, was considered the underdog against the top seed and the two-time defending champion. However, her performance sent shockwaves throughout the tennis world and was appreciated by the entire fraternity.

During her press conference after her win against Diane Parry, Elina Svitolina was asked whether Osaka’s level surprised her as clay wasn’t her forte and she was still finding her rhythm after her return.

The Ukrainian said that she was surprised by the level displayed by the two women, especially Osaka. She mentioned that Osaka’s abilities on hardcourts were no secret but watching her phenomenal ball striking on clay surprised her a bit and she felt like the Japanese never left.

“Yes, I watched the match. Really I was inspired by their tennis, by their resilience and really it was an amazing match. I was surprised by the level of Naomi especially on clay, you know, that she, we all know that she can strike the ball extremely well on the hardcourts and it’s a big challenge to play against her on hard.”

“so, I was a bit surprised by her performance yesterday because she played like she never left, and was playing amazing,” Svitolina said.

“I’m sure that Naomi Osaka’s gonna bounce back and we’re going to see more great matches” – Elina Svitolina

Elina Svitolina continued showering praise on Naomi Osaka and hoped that this performance helped the latter build her confidence. She said that she was sure that the Japanese would bounce back and put on greater performances.

“Yeah, hopefully now she can build on this and I’m sure she will and come back even stronger. Of course, it’s quite early still in her comeback but you know I’m sure that she’s gonna bounce back and we’re going to see more and more great matches.”

The 29-year-old mentioned her match against Osaka at the Miami Open this year and said that she could already feel the Japanese getting back into the rhythm.

“Well I played against her in Miami as well, so, I experienced, you know, she’s getting stronger every single week and she’s I think coming back in her great level already now.”