AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP)—Top-seeded Elina Svitolina again relied on her “fighting spirit” Thursday, beating wild-card entry Katie Boulter 7-5, 6-4 to reach the quarterfinals of the WTA tournament in Auckland, New Zealand.
Both players struggled on serve in windy conditions on center court. There were nine service breaks in the match, which the No. 13-ranked Svitolina clinched on her third match point.
“Katie is a great fighter so I was expecting a tough match,” Svitolina said. “She can strike the ball very well, as she did today, and it was not an easy match for us with the wind swirling around.”
Svitolina dropped her serve in the third game, immediately broke back but was broken again in the ninth. She won some exceptional clutch points to break Boulter again and take the first set.
Svitolina broke Boulter in the fourth game on the second set but immediately dropped serve. Both players had to work hard to hold in the sixth and seventh games before a series of three consecutive breaks which ended with Svitolina’s second singles win in 2026.
