World No. 9 Elina Svitolina pulled out of the Cincinnati Open on Tuesday, scratching her third-round match against Wang Xiyu due to a right ankle injury.
The withdrawal comes days after a dramatic Toronto semifinal run, and it throws fresh uncertainty into Svitolina’s preparations for the US Open, which begins in two weeks.
Svitolina broke the news in a statement shared by tournament organizers, explaining that the ankle problem she sustained in Toronto and pushed during her Cincinnati second-round match never fully settled down.
“Unfortunately I tried my best to recover but the injury I sustained in Toronto and also pushed by the second round match, I didn’t recover as I wish I could to get ready for my next round,” Svitolina said in her statement. “I was looking forward to play here. Have of course great memories of playing here and going deep in the tournament. Had a great match here two nights ago. Very sad to pull out this round.”
Elina Svitolina’s Missed Shot at a Deep Cincinnati Run
Svitolina looked like a serious threat to make a run deep into the second week before the injury forced her out. She reached the third round with a wild comeback over Tereza Valentova, saving seven match points in a second-set tiebreak before closing out the third set 6-0. She took a medical timeout during that match to have her right foot treated, then pushed through anyway.
That win followed a run to the National Bank Open semifinals in Toronto, where Svitolina lost to eventual champion Iga Swiatek. Between the two tournaments, she carried one of the best resumes on tour into Ohio with two titles this season, at Auckland and Rome, and a case as a legitimate quarterfinal or semifinal contender in a loaded Cincinnati draw. Wang Xiyu now advances by walkover into the fourth round, where she will face Madison Keys.
Elina Svitolina’s US Open Outlook Amid Ankle Concerns
The bigger question is whether Svitolina can be ready for Flushing Meadows. The US Open’s main draw opens in roughly two weeks, a tight runway to heal an ankle that has already put her through one surgery.
Svitolina had two screws inserted into that same ankle in September 2024, an operation that followed a season of compounding foot and back pain, according to wtatennis.com. She fought back from that operation to reach the Australian Open quarterfinals five months later, evidence that her recovery timelines can move quickly with proper rest and recovery techniques.
A first-round exit at last year’s US Open means Svitolina arrives in New York without much ranking pressure, but a healthy return would matter for a player who has already banked a career-high ranking of No. 3, 20 tour titles and Grand Slam semifinal runs at Wimbledon and the US Open, according to her official WTA tour biography.
Born in Odesa, Ukraine, the 31-year-old turned pro in her mid-teens and built her game around movement and stubborn defense, qualities that carried her to a Tokyo Olympics bronze medal and a WTA Finals title in 2018. She married French player Gael Monfils in 2021, and the couple’s daughter, Skai, was born in October 2022, leading to a stretch of time away from tennis that Svitolina turned into one of the more resilient comeback stories on tour.
BREAKING: World No. 9 Elina Svitolina Suddenly Pulls Out of Cincinnati Open