Serena Williams vs. Elina Svitolina: Score and Reaction from 2016 French Open

A succession of rain delays at the French Open did little to dampen the desire of Serena Williams, as the top seed blasted her way into the quarter-finals with a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Elina Svitolina.

The match was the curtain-raiser on what is a packed schedule on Wednesday at the Court Philippe Chatrier. And Williams provided those fans who had braved the conditions with a masterclass in clay-court tennis, as she proved far too strong for her Ukrainian opponent. 

The reigning champion will now face either Yulia Putintseva or Carla Suarez Navarro in the last eight.

Consistently poor weather on Monday and Tuesday has frustrated a lot of players at Roland Garros, providing organisers with a major headache when it comes to getting all these matches played. But Williams is so experienced with tournament scenarios and showcased that versatility in the early stages.

While Svitolina struggled to find any consistency in her play, Williams was ruthless out on court. BBC Sport’s David Law summed up her tremendous start to this match:

The rain makes the balls heavy and the courts slow, impeding attacking play.Unless your name’s Serena Williams. 4-0. 12 minutes.#RG16

— DavidLaw (@DavidLawTennis) June 1, 2016

Eventually the Ukrainian, seeded 18th for the tournament, did find some fluency in her ball-striking. In the fifth game she finally got on the board, …

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