"Has there ever been a better player so shortly after giving birth?" - Tennis fans stunned as Elina Svitolina knocks out Iga Swiatek in Wimbledon QF

Tennis fans were left stunned by Elina Svitolina’s defeat of Iga Swiatek in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Wimbledon Championships.

Former World No. 3 Elina Svitolina was on a maternity leave since March 2022, and gave birth to her daughter Skai in October 2022. She resumed her campaign in April this year, and was ranked outside the World’s top 1000.

The 28-year-old bounced back to her top form without any delay and clinched her first title upon return at the WTA 250 in Strasbourg in May. She then featured in the quarterfinals of the French Open.

The Ukrainian entered the 2023 Wimbledon Championships as a wildcard, and has had a fairytale run so far. She defeated five-time tournament champion Venus Williams in the opening round, followed by a second-round victory over Elise Mertens

The 28-year-old next defeated 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin. She got the better of two-time Australian Open champion and former World No. 1 Victoria Azarenka to set up a clash with Iga Swiatek in the quarterfinals on Tuesday.

Elina Svitolina displayed great resilience in the opening set despite being 5-3 (30-0) down against Iga Swiatek. She eventually claimed the opener 7-5. The Ukrainian lost the second set to the World No. 1 in the tiebreak 7-6 (5), but gave a firm response in the decider by claiming two breaks of serve to close out the match 7-5, 6-7 (5), 6-2.

Tennis fans were amazed by the 28-year-old’s outstanding display of tennis to upset the World No. 1 and shared their reactions to the same.

"Svitolina really came out of maternity leave to win Wimbledon for Ukraine didn’t she," one fan said.

"The greatest comeback of all moms," another fan remarked.

Here are a few more reactions from tennis fans:

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"She's World No. 1; She's always fighting" – Elina Svitolina on Iga Swiatek after Wimbledon quarterfinal win

Elina Svitolina and Iga Swiatek at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships

Elina Svitolina was ecstatic about her victory over Iga Swiatek in the Wimbledon quarterfinals. She revealed her emotions in the post-match on-court interview.

“Really, I don’t know what is happening right now in mt head. But, yeah, really just unbelievable. I’m really, really happy that I got this chance here to play here again,” the Ukrainian said in her on-court interview.

“At the beginning of the tournament, if someone would tell me that I’ll be in the semifinal, and beating World No. 1, I’d just say that they’re crazy,” she added.

She showered Iga Swiatek with praise and commended her tenacity. Svitolina admitted the she had to truly fight her way through to claim the victory over the three-time Grand Slam champion.

“Playing this great match in a great atmosphere, it was a really unbelievable feeling for me. And I was fighting, you know. It was not easy today against Iga obviously. She’s World No. 1. She’s always fighting,” the former World No. 3 said.

Svitolina also recalled the 22-year-old’s efforts in support of Ukraine during the trying times of war.

“Iga is not only a great champion; she is also an unbelievable person. She was one of the first ones that really helped Ukrainian people,” the Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist said.

Elina Svitolina is through to the semifinals of Wimbledon for the second time in her career after 2019. She will next face Czech Republic’s Marketa Vondrousova for a spot in her maiden Grand Slam final.