Elina Svitolina beat Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 on Friday, 13 November, to take the last semi-final place at the WTA Finals in Indian Wells. The sixth seed needed 1 hour 53 minutes to win what was effectively a knockout match in Group 2, and Sabalenka's season ended with it.
A shoot-out decided in the third set
Both players arrived with one win and one defeat, so the winner was guaranteed to follow group leader Mirra Andreeva into the last four. Sabalenka, the No. 2 seed, made the stronger start, breaking in the opening game and leading 2-0. Svitolina then took six of the next seven games, according to Tennis Majors, to bank the first set 6-3.
The Belarusian answered with a run of four straight games in the second set, moved ahead 5-1 and levelled the match at 6-3. The decider went the other way. Svitolina broke twice, the WTA reported, won five games in a row and served for the match at 5-1. Sabalenka saved two match points in that final game before the Ukrainian converted her fourth.
The numbers favoured patience over power. ESPN counted 21 winners and 24 errors for Svitolina against 35 errors from Sabalenka, and both the WTA and ESPN noted that Svitolina converted six of her eight break points. As is her practice against Russian and Belarusian opponents, Svitolina did not shake hands at the net.
A first win over Sabalenka since 2020
The result breaks a long run of defeats. Sabalenka had won their previous five meetings, including the Australian Open semi-final in January, and the WTA noted that Svitolina's last victory over her came in Strasbourg in 2020. ESPN put it as only her second win in eight career meetings, and the WTA added that it was her first against Sabalenka on a hard court.
"It was not an easy match. It was a little bit of a roller coaster," Svitolina told Sky Sports afterwards. To ESPN she pointed to the openings her opponent left: "She gave me a few chances here and there so I could find my shots." Sabalenka did not speak to the media after the match, ESPN reported.
A comeback week for the 2018 champion
Svitolina won this event in 2018 and finished runner-up in 2019, and this is her first qualification since then. Her week started badly, with a 6-4, 6-0 defeat to Andreeva, but she recovered from a set down to beat Karolina Muchova 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 on Wednesday before Friday's win, finishing second in the group with a 2-1 record.
For Sabalenka, last year's runner-up, the week ends with a 1-2 record: a 7-6(2), 7-5 win over Muchova, then the 6-4, 6-0 loss to Andreeva and this defeat. Tennis Majors reported that her exit settles the race for world No. 2, with Andreeva set to move above her when the rankings are updated on Monday.
What comes next
Svitolina faces Group 1 winner Linda Noskova, the Wimbledon champion, in Saturday's semi-finals. Noskova leads their head-to-head 2-1, according to Ubitennis. The other semi-final is Andreeva against Jessica Pegula, a first career meeting according to the WTA. The final is on Sunday, 15 November.
The field has already been reshaped by withdrawals: Elena Rybakina pulled out before the tournament and Muchova withdrew from her last group match with a stomach illness. Svitolina, who started the week as one of the lower seeds, is now two wins from a second title at the season finale.
Sources
This article was written by TiebreakNews from the reporting below, checked against official results and rankings.
- WTA — The path to the final four: How Svitolina beat Sabalenka to join Andreeva as a Group 2 semifinalist
- WTA — How it happened: Svitolina runs away with the third against Sabalenka to reach the FAGE WTA Finals semifinals
- ESPN — Elina Svitolina beats Aryna Sabalenka in 3 sets to reach semis at WTA Finals
- Tennis Majors — Sabalenka loses her nerve again as Svitolina knocks her out of the WTA Finals
- Sky Sports — WTA Finals: Elina Svitolina defeats Aryna Sabalenka to reach semi-finals
- Ubitennis — Elina Svitolina Dismantles Aryna Sabalenka To Book Semi-Final Berth At WTA Finals