In seventh event of comeback, Elina Svitolina wins first title as a mom in Strasbourg

WATCH: Elina Svitolina won her first title as a mom with a straight-sets win over Anna Blinkova in Strasbourg.

Just seven events into her return to tennis, Elina Svitolina is a WTA champion again. The Ukrainian captured her 17th career title at the Internationaux de Strasbourg on Saturday with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Anna Blinkova in the final for her first title as a mom.

Former world No. 3 Svitolina gave birth to her daughter Skaï with husband Gael Monfils last October, and returned to tennis this April at the Credit One Charleston Open. She was 0-3 at tour level prior to arriving in Strasbourg, with losses to Yulia Putintseva (Charleston), Aliaksandra Sasnovich (Madrid) and compatriot Lesia Tsurenko (Rome), but did reach the semifinals at the WTA 125 event in Saint-Malo three weeks ago before losing a high-quality match to eventual champion Sloane Stephens in a clash of former Top 10 players.

Currently ranked No. 508, Svitolina was a wild card into the field, having previously won in Strasbourg three years ago. Including two unranked players, she's the fourth-lowest ranked player to ever win a WTA title. Angelique Widjaja triumphed at home in Bali in 2001 when she was ranked No. 579, while Mirjana Lucic-Baroni and Kim Clijsters were unranked when they won in Bol in 1997 and at the 2009 US Open, respectively.

"It was a great week for me. I'm really happy with my tennis, especially coming back after welcoming our daughter, it's really, really special for us," an emotional Svitolina said in her winner's speech.

"Holding this trophy really means a lot to me, especially here where I got a trophy in 2020, which was the COVID year. It's really nice to be without the mask, holding the trophy. I want to thank the tournament for giving me the opportunity to play here."

Svitolina defeated Louisa Chirico, No. 6 seed Varvara Gracheva and Clara Burel to reach the final, and got a walkover from lucky lose Erin Routliffe in the second round. Against Burel, she trailed 6-4, 4-1 before rallying for a 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 win.

In addition to her personal triumph, Ukraine's most prolific player announced that she'll be donating her winnings from the WTA 250 event to support humanitarian relief in her war-torn homeland.

"I would like to share this energy with Ukraine, with my homeland," she said. "All my prize money from this tournament is going to go to the kids of Ukraine, [which is] much needed in this tough moment.

"I would like to thank France for doing an unbelievable job, welcoming Ukrainians, doing everything possible for them to feel like it's their second home. Thank you so much for everything that you do for us, and together, we're going to see the light and end this war."

Svitolina will soar back into the Top 200 as a result of her victory, and gets a lift less than 24 hours prior to the start of Roland Garros, where she's reached the quarterfinals three times. In the first round in Paris, she'll face No. 26 seed and 2022 semifinalist Martina Trevisan of Italy.