Elina Svitolina Beats Aryna Sabalenka to Reach WTA Finals Semifinals

Elina Svitolina advanced to the WTA Masters semifinals on Saturday after defeating Aryna Sabalenka in a three-set match.

The victory secured Svitolina second place in Group 2, rounding out a final four featuring players from the Czech Republic, the United States, Russia, and Ukraine, Orange Actualités reported.

Svitolina overcame an opening deficit and an irregular service performance to defeat the world No. 2 with a scoreline of 6-3, 3-6, 6-1. The result marked her first victory against Sabalenka in more than six years, ending a five-match losing streak against the Belarusian player.

“Elle sera opposée à Linda Noskova ce samedi,” the report noted regarding the upcoming semifinal matchup.

Svitolina secures second qualifying spot in Group 2

The meeting between Svitolina and Sabalenka served as the direct playoff for the second qualifying spot out of Group 2, following Mirra Andreeva’s victory over Diana Shnaider.

Shnaider entered the tournament as a late replacement for Karolína Muchová. Andreeva finished group play undefeated with three wins and zero losses.

Svitolina finished second in the group with two wins and one loss. Sabalenka placed third with one win and two losses, eliminating her from semifinal contention.

Svitolina wins after capitalizing on Sabalenka's errors

Despite committing nine double-faults and landing six aces, Svitolina capitalized on Sabalenka’s errors during the two-hour encounter. The Ukrainian player finished the match with 24 unforced errors compared to Sabalenka’s 35.

After dropping the first set 6-3, Sabalenka rebounded in the second, establishing a 5-1 lead before closing out the frame 5-3 on her first set point.

The decisive third set remained on serve until 1-1, when Svitolina secured consecutive breaks in the second and fourth games to pull away. She converted her fourth match point to seal the victory.

Sabalenka concludes a frustrating season

The defeat leaves Sabalenka on vacation ahead of the traditional tour off-season. The 28-year-old concluded a campaign that included titles at Brisbane, Indian Wells, and Miami.

However, her season also featured runner-up finishes at both the Australian Open and the US Open, alongside the loss of her number-one world ranking to Elena Rybakina, who defeated her in both Grand Slam finals.

Saturday’s result marks the first time since 2021 that Sabalenka has failed to reach the semifinal stage at the year-end WTA Masters tournament.

Semifinal opponent Linda Noskova

Svitolina advances to face Linda Noskova in the semifinals. Noskova holds a 3-1 advantage in prior head-to-head meetings against Svitolina.

The tournament's final four includes Mirra Andreeva of Russia, Jessica Pegula of the United States, Linda Noskova of the Czech Republic, and Elina Svitolina of Ukraine.