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Round of 16: No. 5 Elina Svitolina (UKR) vs. No. 12 Simona Halep (ROU)
Arthur Ashe Stadium — Day Session — Noon
- It's been a busy summer for Svitolina, who married Gael Monfils on July 16 and won an Olympic bronze medal on July 31. The Ukranian had time on her hands in early August, after first-round exits in Montreal and Cincinnati on the US Open Series, but filled her schedule with five wins at the WTA 250 Chicago Women's Open, where she won the title as the No.1 seed before coming to New York.
- Halep also struggled in the Series before a recent turnaround. She suffered a first-round exit in Canada, then withdrew from Cincy with a thigh injury following an opening-round win. Prior to Montreal, Halep's last match came in May at the Italian Open, where she retired against Angelique Kerber with a calf tear that forced her to miss both Roland Garros and Wimbledon.
- "Now I feel stronger," Halep said of her progress following those injuries. "Every match I feel stronger, because the body kind of goes back where I have been. So now I feel more confident with my muscles, and stronger also on the legs."
- The Romanian reached the US Open semifinals in 2015 and the quarters in 2016, but slumped to first-round losses in '17 and '18 before losing in Round 2 in 2019. Absent in 2020, Halep is back on track in New York. After opening her campaign with two straight-set wins—including against Camila Giorgi in a brutal first-round draw—the two-time major champ grinded past 19th seed Elena Rybakina in three third-round sets.
- Svitolina is yet to drop a set this fortnight, with her wins coming over Rebecca Marino, Rebeka Masarova and No. 25 seed Daria Kasatkina. Like Halep, the Ukranian was absent from the 2020 US Open. But she was in attendance deep into the second week in '19, when she reached the semifinals—matching her career-best Slam showing—before losing to Serena Williams.
- Svitolina leads the head-to-head, 5-4, over Halep, including a win in thier most recent meeting at the 2019 WTA Finals.
- "We played many matches on different surfaces," Svitolina previewed. "I had some tough loses against her and some good wins, as well. It's going to be another big battle and great match."
Watch: Simona Halep vs. Elena Rybakina, Round 3 Highlights