Paris, May 25 (IANS) Elina Svitolina had to overcome a difficult first round test at the French Open on Monday as she came back from a set down to beat Anna Bondar 3-6 6-1 7-6(3) in two hours and 26 minutes of compelling tennis at Roland Garros.

The win ensured that the World No. 7 progresses to the second round at Roland Garros for a 13th consecutive year, while ending a three-match losing streak against Bondar in what has become an unlikely narrative, but in many ways, the most intriguing repeat match-up on the WTA Tour.

Monday’s match was the fifth time the two women had met in the space of 12 months, with four of these encounters coming at Grand Slams. In spite of the difference in their rankings, Svitolina has found Bondar to be a consistent irritant in the last 12 months and the evolving rivalry is perhaps one of the more curious stories in women’s tennis.

After dropping the first set, Svitolina finally started to produce tennis on par with her ranking in the second, rediscovering her groove from the back of the court and repeatedly targeting the movement of her Hungarian opponent, who also had to battle back from five break points down in a crucial service game to stay level at 3-1, to eventually bring the set level.

The final set provided the first time the two women had battled it out to a three-set deciding rubber after each of their previous four encounters had been decided in two. When Svitolina broke to take a 5-3 advantage, the Ukrainian looked on course to serve for the match, but Bondar fought back valiantly, winning 12 of the next 13 points to establish a 6-5 lead.

However, the experienced Ukrainian regrouped well, holding to love, and forced the first 10-point match tiebreak of the tournament.

Svitolina then took over completely from there, the four-time French Open quarter-finalist streaking ahead and eventually taking the first five of the first six points, to seal the tiebreak on her second match point opportunity, having created seven match points on serve.

The match was perhaps just another development of the escalating rivalry between Svitolina and Bondar. Bondar had won their two most recent meetings – at the Madrid Open this year and at the US Open last year, and it was the third successive win for Svitolina over her opponents following victories in the latter rounds at Wimbledon and the French Open last year.

However, this time it provided a much closer and far more dramatic affair.

Svitolina will next meet the qualifier Kaitlin Quevedo, making her Grand Slam main draw debut and currently on a nine-match winning streak following her title triumph in ITF 100 Saint-Gaudens and success through qualification for this tournament.

–IANS

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