Elina Svitolina cruised past Anastasia Potapova 6-1, 6-1 in the third round of the WTA 1000 tournament in Toronto on Thursday, extending her head-to-head dominance over the Austrian-based player.
The ninth-seeded Svitolina, a semi-finalist at this year's Australian Open, broke serve repeatedly to dismiss world No. 27 Potapova in straight sets. Svitolina declined the traditional post-match handshake, citing Russia's war against Ukraine. Potapova was born in Russia but represents Austria on tour. The two previously met in the round of 32 in Monterrey in 2022, with Svitolina also prevailing.
"It's great to have won the match. It's late. Thank you for staying up so long," Svitolina told the crowd. She faces Amanda Anisimova in the round of 16 after Anisimova defeated Nikola Bartunkova 3-6, 6-0, 6-4.