Fourth seed Elina Svitolina continued her quest for a maiden Grand Slam title going in final style on Sunday, with the Ukrainian dropping just three games against Czech qualifier Denisa Allertova to reach her first quarterfinal at the Australian Open.

Currently the bookies’ favorite to capture the title in Melbourne, Svitolina was the heavy favorite against Allertova, who was the lowest-ranked woman to make the second week, and despite a scrappy start proved far too strong for the Czech. In a match that started shortly before midnight, the fourth seed prevailed 6-3, 6-0 in just 57 minutes to reach the last eight at a slam for the third time.

Svitolina produced a commanding performance to reach the last eight (Getty/Michael Dodge)
Svitolina produced a commanding performance to reach the last eight (Getty/Michael Dodge)

Solid Svitolina cruises through to continue recent run of form

After her impressive run to the title at the Brisbane International a few weeks ago, Svitolina was seen by many as the favorite for the title at the tournament despite having recorded very few strong performances at the majors. However, the Ukrainian proved that she will be a huge danger in the latter stages with a commanding victory today.

With the match starting so late, it was understandable that both were a little shaky early on, with a trade of breaks in the opening two games. It was Allertova who was the first to hold serve, though the Czech continued to make errors and eventually found herself a break down once again, with Svitolina taking a 4-2 lead. The fourth seed was seemingly unafraid to be aggressive and continued to apply pressure on the Czech qualifier, and that showed in the closing stages of the opener, with Svitolina breaking to love to take the opener in 36 minutes.

Allertova could do very little to trouble Svitolina today (Getty/Michael Dodge)
Allertova could do very little to trouble Svitolina today (Getty/Michael Dodge)

The first set had not been completely perfect by the Ukrainian, though she had finished it strongly and she carried that form throughout the second set. With Allertova beginning to struggle immensely, the fourth seed started to move ahead in fine style, quickly racing to a 3-0 lead as she took complete and utter control of the encounter. Allertova had been forced to play six matches just to get to this stage, and that may have shown as provided little resistance against the world number four, with Svitolina rarely tested as she sealed the second set in just 20 minutes and eased through.

After a tricky second round match against Katerina Siniakova, Svitolina has rebounded incredibly well in her past two matches and will be brimming with confidence moving forward. She will be the heavy favorite once again in her quarterfinal against Elise Mertens, with the winner set to make their first-ever Grand Slam semifinal.

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About the author
Oliver Dickson Jefford
20. English Literature student at the University of Southampton. Aspiring sports journalist from Hertfordshire.