Olympic Tennis Day Three Tip: 4/5 Svitolina has the edge on clay

• Svitolina playing well at venue

• Pegula lacking miles on the clock

• 4/51.80 on Svitolina holds fancy

Elina Svitolina has been very impressive since returning to tour following her pregnancy. The Ukrainian has had meaningful runs at the Grand Slams and is saving her best form for the big occasions.

Svitolina was selected to be the flag bearer for her country in the Opening Ceremony of the Games, such is the esteem to which she is held in her homeland. She has been the leading figure of her country's tennis for a long time and the honour was just reward for her talent.

The 2020 Tokyo Games bronze medalist has a tough assignment against world number six Jessica Pegula, but the change in surface should give her the edge.

Negative head to head

Pegula actually leads their career meetings with four wins and only one loss. However, these matches have all taken place on a hard court where Pegula plays her best stuff.

The American likes to take the ball early to hit flat, powerful strokes. However, she has rarely been able to translate this game plan to more natural surfaces and despite the occasional good week on clay or grass it is not a part of the season she typically prioritises.

Prior to this week, Pegula only stepped onto a clay court in Charleston back in April. However, that tournament is played on green clay and plays very differently to the European red clay.

Hes best effort at Roland Garros was a quarter-final in 2022, although she did benefit from a particularly soft draw.

Good runs

By contrast, Svitolina has played well at Roland Garros and arguably above her typical expectations for this surface. Her last three defeats here have been at the hands of the formidable Grand Slam winning talents of Barbora Krejcikova, Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina.

Svitolina typically enjoys a scrap, and she can bring the worst out of her opponents on this surface. She will fight for every ball, get plenty back into play and break the rhythm of the player standing on the opposite side of the net.

For a player like Pegula that relishes a consistent ball that she can attack with her early hits, Svitolina is not a fun match-up. Over the past two years Svitolina is breaking her opponents in almost half of her return games on clay. She is a pest and will really make Pegula work for this.

Role Model

Svitolina is fiercely proud to be Ukrainian and has been a strong voice for her people since the Russian invasion two years ago. She tends to give it all for the flag, and has played and organised umpteen fundraising events in recent times.

She is going to be highly motivated to give her best effort here and has the game to trouble Pegula in these conditions. At 4/51.80 Svitolina is worth a play.

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