Spain's Garbine Muguruza makes a backhand return to Ukraine's Elina Svitolina during their third round singles match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne
Two-time major winner Garbiñe Muguruza has beaten fifth-seeded Elina Svitolina 6-1, 6-2 to reach the fourth round of the Australian Open.
Muguruza, who won the French Open in 2016 and Wimbledon the following year, took the first set in 23 minutes and conceded just 12 points in seven games.
The third-round has been tough for highly seeded players in the women's draw, with No. 2 Karolina Pliskova, No. 3 and defending champion Naomi Osaka, No. 6 Belinda Bencic, No. 8 Serena Williams — a 23-time major winner — all unable to reach the second week at Melbourne Park. Unseeded Muguruza started the tournament by losing the first set she played 6-0, but rebounded to win that match 0-6, 6-1, 6-0.
“The first day I didn't feel well at all, but I never throw in the towel," she said. “I'm in the fourth round because of a big fight."
Against Svitolina, a quarterfinalist at the last two Australian Open tournaments and a semifinalist last year at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, Muguruza was dominant.
“Everything went quickly my way — yeah, I'll take it," she said. “I played a very good match. I managed to probably disturb her, and take the match to my side."
CiCi Bellis' return to Grand Slam tennis after a two-year absence has ended in a third-round loss to 16th-seeded Elise Mertens at the Australian Open.
Bellis had four operations on her right arm and her ranking dropped to 600 in the time between her trip Down Under in 2018 and her return to Melbourne Park.
The 20-year-old American was told last year that there was a chance she'd never play again. But she took her place in the main draw on a protected ranking and then upset 20th-seeded Karolina Muchova in straight sets in the second round.
It ended in a 6-1, 6-7 (5), 6-0 loss to Mertens, a semifinalist in Australia in 2018 who had only dropped five game in her two previous rounds.
