Can Ukrainian star Elina Svitolina save Princess Kate from handing over the Wimbledon trophy to a Belarusian?

The Princess of Wales faces the daunting prospect of handing over the Wimbledon trophy to a Belarusian, but she could be saved by the last Ukrainian left in the tournament.

Athletes from aggressor countries Russia and its ally Belarus are among the favorites to win as the competition enters its final phase.

Presenting a trophy to one of them would be a potentially awkward moment for the palace.

But last night, Ukrainian wildcard Elina Svitolina knocked out world number one Pole Iga Swiatek to put herself on track to wrestle the title with top Belarusian seed Aryna Sabalenka.

Svitolina, who waved goodbye to another Belarusian along the way, said the prospect of meeting an athlete from that country in the final is a “great motivation”.

She said, “Every time I play against them, it’s a big motivation, a big responsibility for me. Also other motivation for my country.’

Svitolina needs to win her semi-final against Czech World No. 42 Marketa Vondrousova to advance to the final after her victory over Swiatek last night.

Sabalenka, who is pictured embracing Vladimir Putin’s closest ally, Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko, will play American Madison Keys in her own quarterfinal today.

Last month in Paris, she said: “I don’t support war, which means I don’t support Lukashenko at the moment.” If she beats Keys, she will face the winner of last year’s final, Russian-born Kazak Elena Rybakina or Tunisian fan favorite Ons Jabeur.

In the men’s world number three, the Russian Daniil Medvedev, is only one game away from the final when he beats the American outsider Chris Eubanks in the quarterfinals today.

Svitolina, who entered Wimbledon as a wild card after giving birth to her first daughter, Skai, only last October, says she sees every match as a fight for her country.

While her immediate family came from Ukraine, her grandmother was too weak to leave and is still living under bombing at her hometown in Odessa.

Speaking about how this has affected her tennis, the former world number three said: ‘I think having a child and war have made me a different person. I look at things a little differently.’

She added, “I think war has made me stronger and made me mentally stronger as well. Mentally I don’t consider difficult situations a disaster, you know, there are worse things in life.’

For fellow Ukrainians, the prospect of the Princess of Wales giving the trophy to a Russian or Belarusian in front of the world’s media would be painful to bear.

Tasya Leskova, from Dnipro, whose husband is fighting on the front lines, said: “They should sit at home and think about what their state is doing.”

The All England Club said the palace was not involved in the decision to admit Belarusians and Russians this year following their 2022 ban. CEO Sally Bolton said: “We talk to the palace all the time about many different issues, but it was very much our decision.”