Oliynykova saves 21 break points in Cluj-Napoca; to face Raducanu next
One statistic in particular stands out from Oleksandra Oliynykova's milestone 6-4, 6-4 win over No. 4 seed Wang Xinyu in the Transylvania Open quarterfinals.
The result was the most significant of the 25-year-old's career so far -- it was her first defeat of a Top 50 player, and she advances to her first semifinal on the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz as a result. To seal it, Oliynykova saved a remarkable 21 out of 23 break points against her. Her 91.3% rate of break points saved is the highest at tour level since full data began to be kept in 2021.
Cluj-Napoca: Scores | Draws | Order of play
Oliynykova only conceded her serve twice, in the opening game of each set. In the first, she staved off three points to go down a double break at 3-0, and then a further five to hold for 3-2. In the second, she fended off five break points at 2-2 -- one with an underarm serve -- and another two at 2-2.
Afterwards, the Ukrainian linked her resilience in key moments to the perspective brought by living in a country entering its fourth year of war brought on by the Russian invasion of 2022. At the Australian Open, Oliynykova -- whose father is a soldier in the Ukrainian army -- spoke about how the apartment opposite hers had been struck by a drone the night before she departed for her first Grand Slam. Her arrival in Cluj-Napoca this week was nearly stymied when Kyiv was hit by a mass power outage as she was about to catch her train.
"I didn't know this statistic but you know, I'm coming from a country where there is war and you don't know what tomorrow is going to bring," Oliynykova said in her on-court interview.
"So for me, it's so important during such hard times in my country, I learned to enjoy every moment of tennis. In some way I really celebrate the game. I'm doing this for sport, for tennis.
"The key -- not only today, but in general of the progress I've made -- it stopped, to me, to be more important whether I win or lose. I'm happy to win, of course -- it means a lot, but it's not the most important thing. I learned to be in the moment."
On a more light-hearted note, Oliynykova's "celebration of the game" also extends to the temporary facial decorations that have become her signature aesthetic. In Melbourne, there were flowers; in Cluj-Napoca, a tournament which leans heavily into its Dracula-related branding, Oliynykova has chosen a row of small bats on her cheeks.
"It's thematic," she said with a grin, before explaining that the tournament is a special one for her -- she had entered it for the first time last year, but didn't even make the qualifying cut-off. Now ranked No. 91 and assured of a new career high next week, that's not a problem she'll face again any time soon.
Oliynykova will have the opportunity to keep her dream run in just her second tour-level main draw going when she takes on No. 1 seed Emma Raducanu in the semifinals. The Briton came through a tricky quarterfinal against qualifier Maja Chwalinska 6-0, 6-4, showing controlled aggression to deal with the Pole's defense and finesse.
This time last year, Oliynykova was yet to face a Top 100 opponent. Now, she'll face her second Grand Slam champion within three weeks, having fallen 7-6(6), 6-1 to Madison Keys in the Australian Open first round. However, she has crossed paths with Raducanu before -- indeed, Oliynykova was the second opponent of Raducanu's professional career.
Back in 2018, they played at the lowest rung of the ladder -- the second round of ITF W15 qualifying in Nanjing, China, with a 15-year-old Raducanu making her professional debut. She defeated the 17-year-old Oliynykova 7-6(2), 6-1 before falling to Cao Siqi in the final qualifying round.