Elina Svitolina is a three-time Grand Slam semifinalist who's been ranked as high as No. 3 in the world, so she would love to be able to represent Ukraine this weekend in its Billie Jean King Cup playoff matches against Austria in McKinney, Texas, about 35 miles north of Dallas.
Svitolina is sidelined while recovering from ankle surgery — she hopes to be ready to compete at the Australian Open in January — but she still made the journey to the United States with her country's team for what is technically considered a “home” contest, even if it needed to be moved out of Ukraine because of the war with Russia that began more than 2 1/2 years ago.
“Of course it's tough for us not to be able to host the (matches) in Ukraine. The support of your people is special, so we are very sad that we don’t have that chance now these days,” Svitolina said in a video interview. “But at the same time, we are grateful for all the people helping organize our events away from home. Can’t thank them enough for these gestures.”
Some of the proceeds from the competition on Saturday and Sunday will go to Svitolina's foundation, which she formed in 2019 and offers supports to Ukrainian athletes and children. The foundation currently oversees the country's Billie Jean King Cup team, which held its April “home” match in Amelia Island, Florida.
“You cannot overstate her impact on Ukrainian tennis and on the nation, in general. People in Ukraine need positive emotions,” said Ilya Marchenko, Ukraine's captain this weekend. “Everything she does is really important for them. She puts this mission first and then her career second, for the moment. It’s really big inspiration.”
Svitolina said she visits Ukraine “quite often” — most recently about a month ago — to see family and friends, sure, but also to do work for her foundation, including hosting camps for children.
“I really enjoy it, even though it is really tough because of the missile attacks. Right now, daily, basic life is really difficult in Ukraine. But I want to be there. I want to meet with people. I want to give them, at least for a few moments, a good moment that they can enjoy,” Svitolina said. “I feel like sports can be a big part of stress relief for a lot of Ukrainians.”
Without her, currently No. 23, or Marta Kostyuk, who is No. 18, Ukraine's highest-ranked player in Texas is No. 118 Lesia Tsurenko. Austria is led by No. 222 Sinja Kraus.
There are two singles matches scheduled for Saturday, and another two on Sunday in the best-of-five series. If neither team has clinched by then, a doubles match will close things out Sunday.
The winning country advances to the World Group in 2025 with a chance to play for a spot in the Billie Jean King Cup Finals.
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
FILE - Ukraine's Elina Svitolina reacts after winning a point against Kazakhstan's Yulia Putintseva during their third round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Feb. 13, 2021.(AP Photo/Hamish Blair, File)
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Hundreds of hospitality workers at a casino near the Las Vegas Strip walked off the job just before dawn Friday amid a long and highly contentious fight for a new contract.
The work stoppage at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas marks the first open-ended strike in 22 years for the Culinary Workers Union, the largest labor union in Nevada, with about 60,000 members.
Workers at the casino also walked off the job for two days earlier this year as negotiations escalated, hoping to pressure Virgin Hotels to agree to a new five-year deal with higher wages and better benefits.
Housekeepers, porters, bellhops and servers picketed outside the hotel-casino, which was formerly the Hard Rock Las Vegas.
Michael Renick, a bartender who has worked at Virgin Hotels for about two years, said he's already used to living paycheck to paycheck and closely monitoring his bank balance. That's why, he said, he was willing to go on strike for as long as it takes to get a fair contract, even if it means getting a second job during the strike.
“I'm ready to go for as long as I need to, and I'm pretty sure that's how everyone else is feeling too,” he said.
The union pays striking workers $500 per week for picketing shifts for at least five days.
Virgin Hotels said in a statement that it is focused on reaching a deal with the union that is “economically viable” for both its union workers and its other employees.
“Our dedication to our team members’ well-being and achieving sustainable performance at our property remains steadfast, and we are fully committed to finding a fair resolution that is in their best interest,” the company said.
The strike comes a year after casinos up and down the Strip narrowly avoided tens of thousands of hospitality workers walking off the job on the weekend the city was set to host its first Formula One race on the famous boulevard. But agreements were reached just before the union's strike deadline, giving workers a roughly 32% salary increase over the life of the contract, including a 10% bump in pay in the first year.
After the breakthrough deals last November, the Culinary Union quickly reached similar agreements for the rest of its members at major hotel-casinos on the Strip, downtown and at off-Strip properties — with the exception of Virgin Hotels. The contracts on the Strip alone cover more than 40,000 workers.
Bethany Khan, a spokesperson for the union, said Virgin Hotels is the “final holdout.” The union's contract covering about 700 employees there expired last June.
Both the union and Virgin Hotels said negotiations stalled because of disagreements over pay.
Ted Pappageorge, the union's secretary-treasurer, said the company’s latest proposal amounted to an estimated $0.30 more annually to wages over five years after deducting additional money union workers would have to contribute to their benefits.
“The Virgin Las Vegas’ proposal is miles apart and is an insult to every worker, which is why the committee voted unanimously to refuse to settle for a second-class contract,” Pappageorge said.
Virgin Hotels said Thursday night that it has tried to compromise with the union by offering earlier pay raises during a new five-year contract instead of only in the fourth and fifth years, but that “the union chose to engage in ‘take it or leave it’ bargaining.”
Although Friday's walkout is far smaller than the strikes planned for last year on the Strip, disruptions are still likely at the 1,500-room property. The union says “24/7 picket lines” will be in place during the strike around the property located just off the Strip and along a common route to the tourist corridor from the city's international airport.
The hotel-casino sits on a recognizable lot where an 80-foot (24-meter) neon guitar sign stood for decades. It was removed in 2017 after the Hard Rock closed.
Culinary Union members last went on strike in 2002 for 10 days at the Golden Gate hotel-casino in downtown Las Vegas.
Associated Press videojournalist Ty ONeil in Las Vegas contributed to this report.
Members of the Culinary Workers Union picket in front of the Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Members of the Culinary Workers Union picket in front of the Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Members of the Culinary Workers Union picket in front of the Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
FILE - Virgin Hotels Las Vegas is illuminated on Wednesday, March 24, 2021, in Las Vegas. (Benjamin Hager/Las Vegas Review-Journal via AP, File)
