High voltage drama and career breakthroughs were on full display this season on the WTA Tour although one, in particular, failed to garner considerable attention. With Victoria Azarenka, the champion at Indian Wells and Miami announcing her pregnancy and the conclusion of her season and Maria Sharapova testing positive for a recently banned substance, Serena Williams’ diminished impact on the tour appeared almost inconsequential.

While the Grand Slams were won by three players and a new number one was crowned, Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina made her own headlines. The twenty-two-year-old achieved a rare feat during the current season; she defeated two world numbers ones – Serena Williams in the quarterfinals at the Rio Olympics and Angelique Kerber in the third round of the China Open.

Svitolina turned pro six years ago and is currently ranked fourteen in the world. This is undeniably a remarkable accomplishment given the recent depth in the women’s game. Angelique Kerber, now ranked number one in the world, won two slams this season (Australia and US Open) while Garbine Muguruza reigned supreme at Roland Garros defeating Serena Williams in the final.

Kerber, the 28-year-old German, was close to winning a third major this season having made the final at the All England Club but was denied by Serena Williams who finally tied Steffi Graff with twenty-two major titles.

I was fortunate to have the opportunity to watch Svitolina compete on the old grandstand court this summer at the US Open. From that vantage point, it was readily apparent that she possesses the technical skills and mental fortitude to compete and defeat the game’s elite.  

She employs an aggressive style of play and eagerly looks for chances to approach the net to finish off points. It would appear that her frequent doubles play has provided ample opportunities to perfect her volleying skills.

Her grand slam breakthrough came at the 2015 French Open where she made the quarters, losing to former world number one and 2008 French Open champion, Ana Ivanovic. Not surprisingly, one of her favorite surfaces – in addition to grass – is clay, having won the junior title at Roland Garros in 2010.

In 2016, Svitolina hired former world number one and 7-time grand slam champion, Justine Henin as a consulting coach. The relationship with one of the newest inductees of the International Tennis Hall of Fame quickly paid dividends. In February at the Dubai Tennis Championships, she defeated then world number three Garbine Muguruza who three months later would claim her first grand slam title.

In March, she would earn her fourth WTA title at the Malaysia Open, defeating a resurgent Eugenie Bouchard in a tight, three-set final. In her relatively short but prodigious career, Svitolina has won four of the five finals she made.

This past week at the WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai, she came from a set down in the semifinals to defeat world number ten and number one seed Johanna Konta 2-6, 6-1, 6-4. In the final, she would battle but succumb to a frequent nemesis, two-time Wimbledon champion and the world no. 13 Petra Kvitova. This was her third loss this season and sixth overall to the imposing lefty from the Czech Republic.

Despite her loss to Kvitova, the future looks quite promising for the young Ukrainian. Although her impressive accomplishments seem to pale in comparison to those of Kerber, Muguruza and Serena Williams, it is worth noting she defeated all three over the course of the current season. Now that is most definitely newsworthy!