Svitolina beats Sabalenka 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 to reach WTA Finals semifinals

Svitolina takes the decider

Elina Svitolina beat Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 in the final round-robin match of the WTA Finals at Indian Wells, California, on 13 November. Europa Press put the match at about 1 hour and 51 minutes. Svitolina broke Sabalenka three times in the opening set and took it 6-3, while Sabalenka managed one break of her own. Sabalenka levelled by taking the second set 6-3 with two breaks of serve, but she then lost the last six games of the match. It was Svitolina's first win over her in six years, ending a run of six straight defeats.

Sabalenka saved four match points, one of them with a return winner, before she hit a forehand wide on a break point. A point later the match was over and Svitolina raised her arms. Svitolina described the win after the match.

“It was an extremely tough match, especially mentally. I was just trying to play one point at a time.”

Svitolina, 32, won the WTA Finals in 2018 and was runner-up in 2019. This season she returned to the top 10 for the first time since 2021, and NYT described it as her best season since 2019.

Serve numbers and Sabalenka's season

Europa Press's statistics show Svitolina won 57% of her first-serve points, hit nine double faults and four aces. Sabalenka won 49% of her first-serve points, with three double faults and one ace.

Svitolina57%

Sabalenka49%

Svitolina

57 %

Sabalenka

49 %

Data from the article text

Sabalenka had arrived at the Finals with the best win percentage on the women's tour this season (80.0%, 47-11) and the most straight-set wins (43), according to BBC. Elena Rybakina took the world No. 1 ranking from her after 99 weeks at the top. Sabalenka lost the Australian Open and US Open finals, both to Rybakina, and this is her first season since 2022 without a Grand Slam title. NYT reports she ends the year 2-4 since the US Open final, with her fewest wins since 2022.

Andreeva and the semifinal line-up

Mirra Andreeva, the 19-year-old French Open champion, beat Diana Shnaider 6-2, 6-1 in her final group match. Karolína Muchová withdrew with stomach and intestinal problems, and NOS reports that Shnaider, ranked WTA 11, replaced her. Andreeva has three round-robin wins and has overtaken Sabalenka in the group.

Elena Rybakina, the new world No. 1, withdrew from the event with a viral illness on the eve of the tournament, and Marta Kostyuk joined as an alternate. The semifinals pit Svitolina against world No. 8 Linda Nosková, the Wimbledon champion, and Andreeva against Jessica Pegula. NOS dates the Svitolina semifinal to Saturday, 14 November. Pegula and Andreeva meet for the first time.