Elina Svitolina and Zheng Qinwen are set to sq. off in a charity match at Melbourne Park, simply days earlier than the Australian Open.
For the previous few years, the Ukrainian tennis star has been very outspoken in regards to the warfare in Ukraine and attempting to gather funds for her nation.
Now, the previous world No. 5 is about to be part of one other charity occasion for Ukraine. And it will likely be fairly one thing since her rival shall be present world No. 5 and Paris Olympics gold medalist Zheng.
Elina Svitolina© Elina Svitolina/Instagram – Truthful Use
The match is scheduled for January eighth and the funds collected shall be distributed to help Ukrainian youngsters.
🇺🇦Elina Svitolina will face Olympic champion 🇨🇳Zheng Qinwen through the Opening Week of Australian Open 2025.
The match is about for January 8 on Rod Laver Enviornment.
From Jan 7-10, charity matches will elevate funds for youngsters by means of the Australian Tennis Basis. pic.twitter.com/gauRNMF7OI
— Ukrainian Tennis • BTU (@ukrtennis_eng) December 31, 2024 Svitolina, Zheng opted to not play any tournaments main as much as the Australian Open
After battling a foot damage for fairly a while, the Ukrainian surgically repaired the difficulty in mid-September.
Whereas the 30-year-old is able to return and set to play on the Australian Open, she determined towards taking part in any tournaments main as much as the opening Grand Slam of the 12 months.
On the opposite facet, Zheng was attributable to begin her season on the United Cup. However she modified her thoughts on the final second as a result of she wasn’t rested sufficient.
“Hi everyone, just a quick update that I’m sadly not going to be competing at the United Cup next week. After the long season that 2024 was for me, I need a few extra weeks of rest, recovery, and good training to get ready for the new season,” the Chinese tennis star announced on December 22nd.
However, Svitolina and Zheng are now guaranteed to get at least some action before the Australian Open.
On the WTA Tour, they have no previous meetings.
Although it will be a charity match and both players very likely won’t go with full strength, it will still be very exciting for fans to have a chance to watch Svitolina and Zheng meet in Melbourne early.
