It was a very exciting weekend for Elina Svitolina who lead Ukraine to a 3-0 victory over Japan.
Despite the convincing 3-0 win for Ukraine, it was not an easy tie as Svitolina almost lost her 2nd set against a very inspired Naito. The Ukrainian number one was able to compose herself in time to secure the 3rd set, giving Ukraine the winning point in the tie. With this win, Ukraine has come only one win away from the Finals and a shot at the Silverware.
Speaking after her match Svitolina said:
"I am convinced we have a great team. Everyone has a high ranking and high performance and the team is very balanced. I think we have a good chance to play and compete against the best teams."
Explaining further what is clicking for Ukraine she said:
"We are very close and that motivates each of us to go for more and we have a really warm spirit which is really amazing and pushes us to get better results."
Besides Svitolina Ukraine are placing hopes in Kostyuk as well but the young Ukrainian believes that as long as Svitolina plays on a high level they have a chance at success.
When asked what was the key to success Svitolina highlighted her love for Ukrainian food which she has been eating all week. She jokingly said that that was probably the reason for their success.
Ukraine is currently ranked as the 29th nation which is far from the top but with their high spirits and a very good Svitolina, they have reasons for optimism.