Tennis Boxing from Rome
Angelique Kerber vs Elina Svitolina
(Germany vs Ukraine)
(30yo, 5'8", 148 lbs vs 23 yo, 5'9", 132 lbs)
WTA Rankings: #12 vs # 4

{{{ Story based on a real-life tennis match played in the quarter-finals of WTA Premier tournament in Rome on 05/18/18. }}}

BEFORE: Angelique Kerber returns from a brief injury pause to face defending Rome champion Elina Svitolina with both women very much in the thick of Grand Slam betting action just days ahead of the French Open's opening day. Kerber is no longer the world's top ranked player but several pundits believe her peak is actually higher than Svitolina's peak unless the Ukrainian can finally prove herself in one of the four biggest tournaments on the calendar. However clay is Svitolina's better surface and she's slightly favored against the power-hitting German southpaw tonight.

Angelique Kerber wears a red sports bra, black hotpants and red gloves. Long blonde hair tied in a braid. Elina Svitolina wears a beige sports bra, black hotpants and blue gloves. Long blonde hair tied in a high ponytail. The fight is scheduled for ten rounds in the welterweight division.

Round 1:
Both girls take their time in the early going and while it's natural for a counter-puncher like Svitolina, Kerber has otherwise channelled her aggression to join the elite level while seemingly entering the back nine of her career. She tries to rush the fellow blonde with quick series upstairs but finds no breakthrough against the stubborn guard and lacks committement to trouble Svitolina with more half-hearted attempts down the stretch. The younger blonde sticks to her duck & weave tactics and tries to sleepwalk herself through the opener which she succeeds courtesy of some very laid back approach from the multiple Grand Slam champion.

Round 2:
Kerber jumps in with some proper jabbing assault that finally splits the Ukrainian guard and Elina counters the German upstairs to engage in a quick exchange in the center of the ring. Angelique steers the southpaw drive right on the money though and snaps Elina's head repeatedly enough to warrant a bendy escape from the younger blonde. Svitolina works the response from the back foot and protects the mid-distance stance which neutralizes Angie's ideas and leaves her barely grazing the flesh come the final minute. She quickly backs out of any desperate heaves and lets Svitolina bounce around on her toes without further punishment.

Round 3:
This slow-burner gets even slower when Angie gets clinched in the open and Elina simply refuses to let her go despite several efforts from the referee. Perhaps the defending champion tries to plain frustrate Kerber out of her comfort zone and it seems to be working as the German becomes vocal in her compaints but she simply can't mount a proper series together with Svitolina dominating the footwork display. Meanwhile she sticks a solid jabbing response from the back foot to leave Kerber stuck in mid-range and slicing thin air when she becomes more desperate come the final stretch. The crowd didn't expect genuine fireworks from the methodical Svitolina but she takes it to another level in making her opponent look very sluggish indeed thus far.

Round 4:
Angie's had enough of this downtempo action and rips a couple of crosses upstairs which drag the fellow blonde into a slugging exchange; Elina stumbles when she tries to find another duck & weave success though and eats a bomb on the chin that wobbles her forward allowing the German to smack her with more point-blank range juice! Here comes Angie as she powers ahead to snap Svitolina's head back and reel her onto the ropes where she adds more damage to the body. Ugh! Elina's trapped beyond recovery and reverts into clinching the older blonde who still sticks a few cruel punches to the body before she finally gets neutralized.

Round 5:
Kerber finally finds the mid-range success as Svitolina's guard begins to leak more punches. The counter-punching response skims off the German's guard and leaves the younger blonde ducking around in avoidance when Angelique kicks into a higher gear. She improves her precision too and snaps Elina's head back repeatedly during the second minute. There's no clinching rescue for the retreating Ukrainian anymore so she has to hassle back to the ropes as Kerber becomes more erratic in her pursuit. That's a wasted opportunity for the Grand Slam champion so it's no surprise she groans in frustration at the bell.

Round 6:
The frustration mounts on the German as she bounces off the fellow blonde's high guard and then gets whacked over the top in response with Svitolina getting more aggressive; she splits Angie's mitts before finding the real breakthrough with a rare shot on the liver. Kerber weaves away from more trouble but gets caught on the jaw regardless and Elina follows through on the nose with a big left hook... Angie tries to slug herself into contention but gets bumped into the ropes as the younger blonde carries more power to the body. The sudden change of targets leaves Kerber on the back foot and she struggles to break free when Svitolina's steady attack traps her in the corner during the dying few seconds.

Round 7:
Elina's durability isn't perhaps so impressive compared to the likes of Caroline Wozniacki but she thrives against a somewhat gassed Kerber who clearly needs a bit of a respite at this stage however she just can't stay clear of the charging opponent. Svitolina unloads a steady body assault in close range and ducks underneath more wayward response from the German who can't even use her southpaw stance to cause the fellow blonde any trouble. Ripping hooks bounce off Angie's ribcage and send her butt-in-ropes where Elina piles on more pressure and literally mauls Kerber into an aching clinch. But she keeps plugging in below the elbows and shakes the former WTA #1 off which is impressive alone considering the weight difference. Angie looks more than tired now and eats a late double on the jaw as her guard collapses right at the bell.

Round 8:
Svitolina fakes a combo upstairs but then drills the slow moving opponent around the elbows again and drives a wobbly Kerber onto the ropes with more piercing shots the German simply cannot embrace at this stage. A quick hook over the top scythes Angie on the brow ridge and allows the Ukrainian to deliver a flurry of head shots that bellows the aching girl over the ropes... Svitolina powers ahead in relentless fashion and bashes the subdued opponent left, right and center to the point Angelique literally spits out her gumshield but still GOES DOWN ON HER KNEES!!! No help there from the ref who didn't stop the action but quite frankly Angie's behaviour warranted a warning in first place. When the count reaches six, she still remains down on the canvas and decides against making a proper comeback which hands a KO8 victory to Elina Svitolina!!!

AFTER: Angie checked out of that fight in the end but she was destined for more misery even if she made it through that knockdown according to several experts. Maybe she inhaled too much clay in the dry Italian air? Jokes aside, all credit goes to Elina though who might call Rome her new home these days. It's her most successful WTA venue by far but that still doesn't translate to ultimate Grand Slam stardom. Let's hope she doesn't become the next version of Jelena Jankovic who won plenty but never at the biggest stage of them all. As for Kerber, Roland Garros appears to be a long shot but don't count her out once Wimbledon and the US hard court swing cycles around on the schedule!

Final result: Elina Svitolina def. Angelique Kerber KO8.