Elina Svitolina maintains her perfect record on clay this season, not dropping a single set so far in 2025. The Ukrainian, seeded 17th, extended her impressive run on the surface with a dominant 6-3, 6-4 win against Kazakhstan`s Elena Rybakina, the No. 10 seed, at the Mutua Madrid Open on Sunday night.
The third-round match lasted 1 hour and 24 minutes, seeing Svitolina defeat last year`s Madrid semifinalist. This result brings their career head-to-head record level at 3-3, with Svitolina now holding a 2-1 lead on clay.
Key statistics from the match:
1: This marks Elina Svitolina`s first time reaching the Round of 16 at the Madrid Open. Despite a strong overall clay-court pedigree, including consecutive WTA 1000 titles in Rome (2017, 2018), her record in Madrid was previously modest at 5-9, having lost her last five matches at the tournament before securing two wins this year.
9: Svitolina`s remarkable 9-0 start to the 2025 clay season appears to be changing her fortunes in Madrid. This streak includes two victories in Billie Jean King Cup Qualifiers and her recent title win in Rouen, which was her seventh career clay-court trophy and 18th overall WTA title. The Rouen win was her first since Strasbourg in 2023, also on clay. Including the BJK Cup ties, this nine-match winning streak is Svitolina`s longest on any surface since a similar run spanning Chicago and the US Open in 2021.
2: Svitolina did not face a single break point until a critical moment in the second set at 6-3, 4-3. Here, Rybakina created her only two break point opportunities with powerful forehands. Svitolina remained composed, saving the first with a rally backhand and the second with an unreturnable serve. She successfully navigated this challenging game, ultimately winning the match without dropping her serve.
48: While Rybakina hit more winners (24 compared to Svitolina`s 10), she also made significantly more unforced errors, tallying 48 – precisely double her winner count.
1-6: Following Sunday`s defeat, Rybakina`s record against Top 20 opponents this year stands at 1-6. Her sole victory against a player ranked in the top 20 in 2025 was against Paula Badosa in Dubai. Rybakina is currently ranked World No. 11, marking her first time outside the Top 10 since January 2023.
3: The Madrid Open has been a particularly successful tournament for Ukrainian players this year, with three reaching the Round of 16. Elina Svitolina is joined by No. 24 seed Marta Kostyuk and qualifier Yuliia Starodubtseva in the second week of the event.
2-2: Elina Svitolina, a former World No. 3, will face another player who has also peaked at No. 3 in the PIF WTA Rankings in the next round: Greece`s Maria Sakkari. Sakkari advanced by defeating No. 6 seed Jasmine Paolini earlier on Sunday. Their career head-to-head record is tied at 2-2, and this upcoming match will be their first meeting on clay.
Rupert Caldwell