ROLAND GARROS

May 31, 2026

Elina Svitolina

Press Conference

E. SVITOLINA/B. Bencic

4-6, 6-4, 6-0

THE MODERATOR: Elina, congratulations. Can you just talk us through the match a little bit and what changed for you after the first set.

ELINA SVITOLINA: I think Belinda was playing really well in the first set. I missed my opportunity a couple of times to break her early, and then she picked up a good game. After, I had to really dig deep to find again the, yeah, just my game, the way that I wanted to play.

I feel like it was a good match. Yeah, very happy that I could play a really solid game today to beat her.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Talking about the quarterfinal, obviously big matchup against Marta. Both of you guys come on with huge winning streaks. What do you think of the matchup and your perspective of her run that she's on right now?

ELINA SVITOLINA: Yeah, it's exciting. Definitely she been playing really well. Yeah, I feel like it's going to be an exciting battle for Ukraine, as well, you know, that there will be one Ukrainian in the semis.

Yeah, I think it's really cool, to be fair (smiling). I think it never really happened before, so yeah, it's exciting.

Q. When somebody looks at your body language and your attitude, it's like you're so calm, so like it's normal what you're doing, and you're writing history and doing the best performance, some of the best of your career. What changed in the last two years maybe to have this moment now that you're performing so quiet and enjoying? Looks like nothing disturbs you.

ELINA SVITOLINA: Well, thank you. Of course, lots of work, lots of mental work, physical work, tennis work, all of that. I feel like I'm in a good place right now mentally. Physically, as well.

Whatever, you know, the outcome will be from the match in the quarters, I feel really proud of the effort that I have been able to put from the beginning of the season, as well.

I feel that I picked up a really good level that I could sustain, as well, which is really important in tennis. Yeah, you have to be at your best and to challenge, you know, the big players to be able to win big titles, to have the opportunity to challenge big players.

Q. This was a battle of two mothers on Mother's Day. In what ways are you a better player since you came back from your maternity leave?

ELINA SVITOLINA: I don't know if it's actually a correct question to ask, because I think Belinda is extremely great player, and also her comeback is really inspiring, the way she also came back so quick to top 20 and played semis Wimbledon last year. Yeah, she continues to play really great tennis throughout the year.

So I feel that we always have big battles, three-setters. We also played in Dubai. It's difficult to pick one thing, but today, for example, I was really happy with the fighting spirit. I could come back after losing that first set. Yeah, just keep pushing myself to find a good game.

Q. Tomorrow there will be a woman's match in the night session for the first time in three years. Wonder how important you think that is for a stage of women's tennis?

ELINA SVITOLINA: Yeah, I think it's great, the match. The matchup, as well. I think it's exciting for the tournament, for the people to witness the women's match.

Yeah, I think of course it's important step, I think, for women's tennis. Yeah, it's, I think, a good move forward.

Q. You had the lead in the second set. You dropped the serve, and then you broke back to win the set and ran to a bagel. How do you do that switch when something kind of goes not, like, your way and then immediately you turned it completely around and took the entire match by storm?

ELINA SVITOLINA: I try to just keep fighting and play one point at a time, one game at a time, to not rush too much. Of course, sometimes you need to give credit to your opponents.

Belinda came back really strong after it was 5-2 to me, so I tried to be just mentally there, mentally still locked in and bring the fight.

Yeah, I found my opportunity to close that set 6-4 on the return. But, yeah, I feel when you are playing in the late stages of the tournament, you have to be, you know, just giving yourself a good opportunity to play, to compete.

I was, yeah, today very happy with the way I was just, yeah, a good competitor, and I think it really puts me through that not easy and tricky second set where she was almost, you know, coming back in it.

Q. When you were younger and first starting out on tour and everything like that, I think most young players, particularly on the WTA Tour, wins, matches feel like life or death the way that the younger players -- and older players, I suppose -- can treat it. Now you're talking about perspective and having a broader, I guess, healthier way that you see things. How difficult is it to go from having that type of thing that might have been the fire that kind of helps you get that early success to kind of learning how to manage it, to have a healthier perspective and a more successful perspective?

ELINA SVITOLINA: Yeah, I think it's a very difficult transition. Well, for me it was, because coming from Ukraine and coming from, you know, also my family kind of, you know, was forcing me a lot and pushing me a lot. I think it's like Eastern European mentality to really go through hell kind of to win matches. Everyone is raised differently, but in my case it's been like that.

I think it's good and bad in the same way, because good is because when you are young, you want to do many things. You want to hang out with your friends. You just want to chill and, you know, enjoy your life.

But in a way, like, for example, for me was my mom was really pushing me and really, you know, putting me back on track where I had to train a lot and to be focused on my goals.

But then later when, you know, when you are becoming a woman, I think you need to kind of, you know, leave that attachment on the side to your parents or to somebody who have been pushing you that much and really be yourself and find your own way that's going to work for you to have this balance.

For me, it took me years and years to really find it and find my way and beat these kind of demons, in a way. Still beating them every single match that I play (smiling).

I feel, yeah, when you're pushing your limits, when you're going through these moments, you are growing and you're learning, and it's the process of that.

So it's important that it doesn't break you mentally, and that's always been the goal for me, to always, you know, stay strong. Okay, you can have bad days, but the life is still good.

Q. We saw you in today's match and a couple other matches talking to your coach when you had the opportunity to at the end of a set. What are you looking for when you do that? He seems very positive and calm, but are you looking for tactics or positivity, energy? What is it you're after?

ELINA SVITOLINA: Just the reset. For me, it's just the reset of the game plan, the reset on maybe few things that I have to adjust.

I think it's great that we have this opportunity to sometimes talk to your coach, because the match is very long, and sometimes you get stuck and, like, sucked in in something that you don't see probably.

Yeah, just a quick chat, you know, can put you back on track. And I think this is the case for me.

In Chatrier, the box is, like, on the moon kind of (smiling). Yeah, I don't even know why it's that far, to be fair.

Yeah, but sometimes you need, like, you know, a little push, little support. So it's nice.