It was heartbreak for Elina Svitolina and her fellow compatriots as Ukraine lost their BJK Cup tie to Romania. As the two nations were looking to secure a berth in the Finals, it is the Romanians who march on to Spain. For Ukraine, their only chance now relies on winning in the Play-offs.
While the result was disappointing, for Svitolina, the umpiring was further disheartening. During the crucial doubles tie which was going to decide the eventual winner, an umpiring blunder left the former World No. 3 furious. With the first four matches split at 2-2, it was all to play for in the doubles clash.
Elina Svitolina (Images via IMAGO, Instagram)
From Ukraine, Nadiia Kichenok and Lyudmyla Kichenok teamed up. For Romania, it was Ana Bogdan and Jaqueline Cristian. The first set was won by the Romanians 6-2 and the second looked to be going Ukraine’s way as they were serving for game point at 4-3.
Had they won the point, they would have taken a 5-3 lead giving them the upper hand to win the second set. But during the point, the umpire interfered controversially when the ball clearly looked to be returned from the racket. But he felt it came in contact with the body thus awarding the point to the Romanians.
Despite the protest by the Kichenok’s, the umpire did not change his decision. Svitolina took to her Instagram stories to share the video of the incident and berate the chair umpire for the horrendous call.
Soooo Sooo from referee!!!! How he even came up with this call??? From stomach to racquet to court??!! Huge mistake!!!wrote Elina Svitolina.
It proved to be a crucial point as Romanians won the game and levelled things at 4-4. The set eventually went into the tiebreaker where Ukraine lost the plot handing the win and qualification to Romania.
Elina Svitolina off to a mixed start on clay in 2024
Svitolina won one of her two singles ties at the BJK Cup as she continues to get habituated to clay. With the Golden Swing ahead of her, she will need to up her game in order to be better prepared.
A four-time quarter-finalist at the French Open, she will look to make the most of the upcoming fixtures in order to gear up for the Grand Slam. She made her debut on clay for this season in Charleston but the stay was short lived. She suffered a third round exit losing to Elise Mertens.
With a 12-7 record for the season, the World No. 18 would require some big wins to continue her ascend in the rankings. Having made the semis in Wimbledon last year, she will have to gain maximum possible points in the next few weeks in order to be in a comfortable position when the Major in the UK kicks off in July.
