Svitolina ousts Sabalenka to complete WTA Finals semifinal field

Elina Svitolina secured the remaining WTA Finals semifinal berth with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 victory over Aryna Sabalenka at Indian Wells on Friday. The result ended Sabalenka's season and put Svitolina second in Group 2, completing the knockout lineup after the last singles match of the round-robin stage, according to the WTA's match report.

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Svitolina will play Group 1 winner Linda Noskova in Saturday's semifinals, while Group 2 winner Mirra Andreeva meets Jessica Pegula. The WTA reported that Svitolina had not beaten Sabalenka for six years before Friday, losing their previous five encounters. That sequence included a defeat in the Australian Open semifinals earlier this season.

The Ukrainian had already needed a comeback to keep her tournament alive, recovering from a set down against Karolina Muchova two days earlier. Against Sabalenka, she again fell an early break behind but recovered to claim the opening set. Sabalenka levelled the match before Svitolina took control of the decider and served for victory at 5-1.

BBC Sport reported that Svitolina won the final six games of the match, reversing Sabalenka's early advantage in the third set. Sabalenka had responded strongly to losing the opener, reducing her errors and building a 5-1 second-set lead before closing it out on her second attempt. That recovery did not carry into the deciding set, where Svitolina's steadier finish settled the contest.

For Svitolina, the result extends her first appearance at the season-ending event since 2019, when she reached the final a year after winning the title. BBC Sport noted that she returned to the world's top 10 this season for the first time since 2021. Sabalenka, meanwhile, missed the tournament's last four for the first time since 2021 after reaching that stage in each of the previous four editions.

Andreeva completed her group campaign unbeaten by defeating Diana Shnaider 6-2, 6-1. Shnaider entered as a replacement after Muchova withdrew through illness, according to BBC Sport. The 19-year-old Andreeva conceded only 11 games across three straight-set victories on her tournament debut, taking that record into her first tour-level meeting with Pegula.