Elina Svitolina news
Archived — this story has rotated out of today’s deck. It is kept here in full.
The gist
Svitolina lost her Beijing quarterfinal to Zheng Qinwen 3-6, 6-7(6), then rose to world No. 6.
That ranking is her highest in five years, plus a WTA Finals spot.
Background
Svitolina, 32, entered the China Open ranked seventh with 4,809 points and was already at 5,024 in the live rankings. Her Beijing run matched her second-best result at the tournament and lifted her back to No. 6 for the first time in five years. In 2026 she has won the Auckland and Rome titles, reached her first Australian Open semifinal, and sealed Ukraine's spot in the Billie Jean King Cup final.
How it unfolded
- Oct 9, 2026Svitolina beat American Ann Lee in two sets to reach the Beijing quarterfinals, her fifth WTA 1000 quarterfinal of 2026.
- Oct 9, 2026She lost the quarterfinal to China's Zheng Qinwen 3-6, 6-7(6) — her first loss in five WTA 1000 quarterfinals this season, and short of her 2016 Beijing semifinal run.
- Oct 9, 2026She began the Dongfeng Voyah Wuhan Open with a first-round bye.
- Oct 12, 2026Svitolina climbed to world No. 6 in the WTA singles rankings, returning to that spot for the first time in five years.
- Oct 14, 2026She officially qualified for the WTA Finals.
- Oct 15, 2026She was scheduled to face Guo Hanyu in the third round of the Wuhan Open at 12:30 AM ET.
Who’s saying what
- Official
- Ukrainian Tennis • BTU noted the Beijing loss was her first in five WTA 1000 quarterfinals this season, that she could not match her 2016 semifinal run, and that she would rise to world No. 6 — her highest ranking in five years.