“All the prize money that I´m going to earn is going to be for the Ukrainian army,” Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina, who won the Monterrey Open in 2020, said. The tournament has a $31,000 prize for the champion.
MONTERREY, MEXICO - MARCH 01: Elina Svitolina of Ukraine celebrates a point during a match between Anastasia Potapova of Russia and Elina Svitolina of Ukraine as part of Day 4 of the GNP Seguros WTA Monterrey Open 2022 at Estadio GNP Seguros on MarchElina Svitolina put on the yellow and blue colors of Ukraine and beat Anastasia Potapova of Russia 6-2, 6-1 on Tuesday in the opening round of the Monterrey Open, deciding she could do more for her country by playing than boycotting the match.
Top-seeded Svitolina earlier said she wouldn’t play against Potapova in Mexico or against any Russian or Belarusian opponents until the International Tennis Federation and the men’s and women’s tennis tours barred competitors from those countries using any national symbols, flags or anthems. The tennis governing bodies issued a statement Tuesday confirming that Russian and Belarusian players will still be allowed to compete at the top level, but without national flags."Today it was a very special match for me," the 27-year-old Svitolina said. "I’m in a very sad mood, but I’m happy that I´m playing tennis here.
"I was focused. I was on a mission for my country," she said. "From the beginning, it was important to be ready for anything that comes my way."Svitolina is a two-time Grand Slam semifinalist with 16 career tour-level singles titles who has been ranked as high as No. 3 and is currently No. 15. "All the prize money that I´m going to earn is going to be for the Ukrainian army," said Svitolina, who won this tournament in 2020. The Monterrey Open has $31,000 in prize money for the champion.
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