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Elina Svitolina booked her place in the third round of the 2025 French Open in hard-fought fashion on Wednesday (May 28), fighting past Hungary's Ana Bondar in two tight sets. Following her victory, the Ukrainian spoke briefly about her reaction to her husband, Gael Monfils, overturning a two-set deficit during his late-night first-round match the day prior.
Svitolina and Monfils have both survived the first four days of the 2025 French Open. While the 13th seed is yet to drop a set in her two wins, she had to dig deep against World No. 82 Ana Bondar in her second-round match before eventually coming through 7-6(4), 7-5 in nearly two hours on Wednesday. Her 42nd-ranked husband, meanwhile, weathered an injury and came from two sets down to defeat Bolivia's Hugo Dellien 4-6, 3-6, 6-1, 7-6(4), 6-1 in his first-round match on Tuesday.
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During her interview with Tennis Channel following her second-round win, Elina Svitolina was asked to give her thoughts on Gael Monfils' initial setback earlier this week. In response, the 30-year-old claimed that she expected her husband to eventually launch a comeback before expressing pride in his performance.
"Well, I expected a comeback because he did that exactly same thing he did last year. So I was like, 'Okay, maybe now? Two sets down, not its time to play,'" Elina Svitolina told Tennis Channel's Prakash Amitraj on Wednesday. "Luckily he did another comeback yesterday. He came back to the room around four, very happy the way that he stayed strong and put a big show." (4:00 onwards)
The former World No. 3 will play USA's Bernarda Pera for a place in the second week at Roland Garros. The 39-year-old Frenchman, meanwhile, takes on fifth-seeded Jack Draper in a blockbuster second-round clash on Court Philippe-Chatrier later on Thursday (May 29).
Elina Svitolina: "Me and Gael enjoy playing at the French Open"
Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils have been together since 2018. The two players, both of whom have been ranked inside the top 10 of their respective pro tours, eventually tied the knot in 2021. They welcomed their daughter Skai a year later and have since traveled with her while vying for title glory at the big tournaments.
During the interaction with Tennis Channel, the Ukrainian touched upon how she and her husband have enjoyed their time in Paris over the years despite the varying degrees of support they receive.
"Me and Gael, we enjoy playing here. Of course for him, it's even more special, with the support that he gets. I get 0.5% of the support, from him as well," Elina Svitolina said.
While Svitolina is a four-time quarterfinalist at the French Open (2015, 2017, 2020, 2023), Monfils has reached the quarterfinals on three occasions (2009, 2011, 2014) and the semifinals once (2008).
