Ukrainian tennis star Elina Svitolina will continue her Roland Garros campaign on May 28 when she faces Hungary's Anna Bondar in the second round. The match is scheduled to begin at 14:00 Kyiv time, with Svitolina entering as a clear favorite against the world No. 82.
Svitolina, currently ranked 14th in the WTA standings, has been enjoying a resurgent 2025 season on clay courts. The 30-year-old Ukrainian captured a title in Rouen and has been consistently performing at a high level in prestigious tournaments. Her impressive clay court form was evident in Madrid, where she reached the semifinals before falling to world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, and in Rome, where she advanced to the quarterfinals, ultimately losing a tight contest to Peyton Stearns in a third-set tiebreaker.
The first-round match at Roland Garros demonstrated Svitolina's excellent form as she dismantled Turkey's Zeynep Sonmez 6:1, 6:1 in a dominant performance. Since the beginning of the season, Svitolina has climbed nine positions in the world rankings and is steadily approaching the top 10.
At 30 years old, Svitolina continues her quest for a Grand Slam title. While she has reached the quarterfinals at Roland Garros four times in her career, she has yet to advance further on the Parisian clay.
According to Statbet's analysis of clay court performances this season, Svitolina has shown a 27% improvement in her service games compared to last year, making her one of the most improved players on this surface.
Bondar, her 27-year-old Hungarian opponent, comes into the match with some momentum of her own. While she hasn't claimed any WTA 250 or higher titles in her career, she recently won a WTA 125 clay tournament in Germany earlier this month. Bondar advanced to the second round after defeating 37-year-old veteran Laura Siegemund 7:6, 6:3.
The Hungarian has compiled a respectable 13-5 record on clay this season and has improved her ranking by 11 positions since the beginning of the year. However, her Grand Slam history suggests she faces an uphill battle against Svitolina – Bondar has never progressed beyond the second round at any major tournament and has lost in the first round in both of her previous Roland Garros main draw appearances.
This will be the first career meeting between the two players, adding an element of unpredictability to the match. Nevertheless, oddsmakers strongly favor Svitolina to advance to the third round with a comfortable margin of victory.
With her strong form and experience at Roland Garros, Svitolina appears well-positioned to continue her journey through the tournament as she seeks to surpass her previous quarterfinal best at the French Open.
