By Chris Oddo | Thursday January 4, 2018
Elina Svitolina is picking up where she left off in 2017. The Ukrainian, ranked No.6 in the world at the moment and coming off a 53-win season, reached the semifinals at the Brisbane International when Johanna Konta was forced to retire due to a hip injury in the third set.
Svitolina reached six semifinals and won five titles in a breakout 2017, and she had to battle back to ensure her first semifinal of 2018. After Konta took the first set convincingly, the Ukrainian battled out of trouble while serving at 4-5 and 5-6 in set two to claim the middle set in a tiebreaker.
Konta hung tough for a spell in the decider, but had to call for the trainer due to a hip injury after three games and two games later—after Svitolina’s 17th consecutive hold—she called it quits.
"I don't feel too comfortable saying really too much because, actually, I don't know yet until tomorrow morning," Konta said of the injury after the match. "But hopefully it's nothing more than a low-grade strain and more muscle spasm more than anything."
Svitolina advances to face Karolina Pliskova in the semifinals on Friday in Brisbane. The No.2-seeded Czech worked her way past Kaia Kanepi, 3-6, 7-5, 6-2. Kanepi had control early, leading by a set and break but was done in by 10 double-faults in the second and third sets which helped Pliskova earn 12 break points.
Pliskova and Svitolina battled in last year’s semifinals at Brisbane, with the Czech prevailing in straights en route to her first title of the season.
Anastasija Sevastova and Aliaksandra Sasnovich will contest the top half semifinal.