Svitolina makes quarter-final on 'sad day for all Ukrainians'

Elina Svitolina broke down in tears on court after reaching the Wimbledon quarter-finals on the same day a Russian missile struck a children's hospital in Kyiv.

The Ukrainian wore a black ribbon on her top during her 6-2 6-1 victory over Wang Xinyu and any feelings of satisfaction were dwarfed by sadness at the ongoing horrors in her home country.

Svitolina had to pause during her on-court interview as the emotions overwhelmed her, with at least 31 people killed in attacks across Ukraine.

Writing on Instagram, Svitolina described it as one of the most difficult matches of her life, saying: "Wimbledon has become black for me today."

"It’s an incredibly sad day today for all Ukrainians," added the 29-year-old in her press conference. "It was really difficult for me to really be here in a way and do anything. I just wanted to be in my room, just be there with my emotions, with everything.

"It’s difficult really to explain, I guess, because, of course, for us Ukrainians, it’s very close to our heart and a very sensitive topic, very sensitive emotions that we feel every single day.

"But today was one of the days where it was even more difficult because the missile landed on the hospital, the kids’ hospital. Straightaway you see the images and everything that happened there. So many kids lost their lives. It’s an extremely tough day today."

Svitolina admitted she feels guilty when she celebrates achievements on the court or experiences happiness in her life, and her motivation against Wang was to provide some good news for Ukrainians.

"I think for many Ukrainians they will share this feeling with me," she said. "We feel guilt that we feel happy or that we feel good. Not only because I’m in the quarter-final of the grand slam, but in