Hong Kong Open: Elina Svitolina wants new coach next season after Wang Qiang loss, with Singapore place in balance
China No 1 finishes the job at Victoria Park, but world No 5 faces an off-season full of upheaval while she chases wild cards in bid for WTA Finals spot
Elina Svitolina has said she plans to overhaul her coaching team in the off-season after a disappointing quarter-final exit to Wang Qiang at the Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open.
The Ukrainian was given a lifeline by the rain at the Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open on Friday night, but Wang quickly finished the job on Saturday afternoon, reaching the semi-finals with a 6-2, 6-4 victory.
It was a disappointing end to the week for the 24-year-old top seed, who split with coach Thierry Ascione last month. She had opted to work with Nick Saviano on a trial basis, starting in Wuhan, but has also ended that partnership.
Svitolina is now working solely with Andrew Bettles until the end of the season, and said she is looking to hire both a new main coach and fitness coach for 2019.
“[Bettles] knows my game, I prefer to finish my season with him,” she said. “He’s the only person in the team now. So I’m gonna see, lots of decisions to make after the season is done.”