Elina Svitolina kicked off her year-ending tournament with a long, tough match at the WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai on Tuesday.

Svitolina dropped the first set to the Netherlands' Kiki Bertens before rebounding to win the opening match in the round-robin group stage - thanks in large part to her trademark patience and tenacity.

Despite rosy cheeks and an easy smile that make her look even younger than her 22 years, Svitolina is a fierce competitor on the court, whether unleashing wicked forehand smashes or tirelessly chasing down returns.

In July, the young star stepped into the international spotlight by defeating then world No 1 Serena Williams at the Rio Olympics. At the China Open last month, she vanquished current No 1 Angelique Kerber, who won both the Australian Open and the US Open this year.

"I'm not sure I have even dreamed to win as many titles as Serena; beating her was really an amazing thing for me and for my country because it was at the Olympics," Svitolina told China Daily. "It was my first Olympics, so it was a very special moment for me."

Svitolina achieved a world No 14 ranking in March, soon after inviting legendary Belgian star Justine Henin to join her coaching team.

"It's always great to have someone who is so experienced. Justine is doing a good job with me, sharing a lot of experience and giving me confidence in my game," she said.

"It was nice to learn from her about how she was feeling on the court and off the court in different situations, and it's very important for me to have her advice about technical things and about how to react."

Svitolina's connection with Henin started years ago when she left her home country to study in Henin's tennis academy when she was a junior.

"I was also really lucky to have great support from my family, with my brother playing professionally and coaching me until I was 12 years old," she said.

"Now it's very tough to come out of Ukraine because you need to be really lucky to find a sponsor and have the opportunity to train somewhere else because it's difficult to find a training base," Svitolina added.

"There are a few training venues, but it's tough because Ukraine is struggling and sports is not the biggest thing. Politics is the big one."

Concerned about tennis development in her native country, Svitolina said she is thinking about visiting the small clubs in Ukraine next year to inspire more youngsters to take up the sport.

"I'm really thinking about it because we don't have the next generation," she said.

"It can be a good opportunity for young kids to see that I also come from Ukraine and that it is possible to move up in the sport if you have the desire to do something."

Bertens countered Svitolina's ferocious forehands with a variety of drop shots and slices in Tuesday's two-hour match, but the Ukrainian wasn't fazed.

"I was just giving her too much time to open the court," a weary Svitolina said at the post-match media conference.

"Then when I had some time to think about what happened in the first set, I was like, 'Come on, you need to step onto the court and just try to do something with the ball, otherwise she's going to kill you.'

"I tried to put more pressure on her with my shots, and I think it worked really well."

xujingxi@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 11/03/2016 page22)