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Elina Svitolina defeated Aryna Sabalenka 6:3, 3:6, 6:1 on Friday at the WTA Finals in Indian Wells, eliminating the world number two in the group stage, Eurosport reported.
The 32-year-old Ukrainian secured her second victory in eight career meetings against Sabalenka after 1 hour and 55 minutes of play, advancing to the semifinals as Group 2 runner-up. Sabalenka exits the tournament following a group-stage campaign that included a straight-sets win over Karolina Muchová and a 4:6, 0:6 loss to Mirra Andreeva, leaving the Belarusian with just two tour-level victories since the US Open.
Svitolina entered the decisive round-robin match needing a win after opening her tournament with a defeat against Andreeva before rebounding with a 3:6, 6:2, 6:2 victory against Muchová, according to Eurosport Deutschland. Sabalenka started strongly, breaking Svitolina’s serve early to establish a 2:0 lead in the opening set.
Svitolina recovered by winning the next several games to take the first set 6:3 in 38 minutes. Sabalenka responded in the second set by surging to a 5:1 advantage before closing it out 6:3 to level the match.
ELECTRIC 👊 A lightning start from Elina Svitolina puts her one set away from the semifinals at the FAGE WTA Finals!#FAGEWTAFinals | #TheUltimateStage pic.twitter.com/AbvU5IAbbU
The turning point in the third set arrived during the fourth game when Svitolina converted her third break opportunity to lead 3:1 after two previous deuces. Sabalenka grew visibly frustrated, committing a series of unforced errors that allowed Svitolina to pull away. On her fourth matchball, Svitolina sealed the victory with a forehand winner from mid-court.
“It was an extremly difficult match, vor allem mental,” Svitolina told Vietnam.vn, describing the psychological toll of the encounter. “Ich habe einfach versucht, jeden einzelnen Punkt zu spielen. Das ist ein Turnier, bei dem man alles geben und jeden Satz so spielen muss, als wäre es der letzte.”
Top-tier tennis 📺 Aryna Sabalenka takes the second set 6-3 against Svitolina. It's a one set showdown for a place in the semifinal 👊#FAGEWTAFinals | #TheUltimateStage pic.twitter.com/Eg8owB2Tk4
Svitolina added in comments reported by Vietnam.vn: “Das Beste an diesem WTA-Finals-Turnier ist, dass man selbst nach einer Auftaktniederlage noch nicht ausgeschieden ist. Es gibt noch einige Spiele und spannende Situationen.”
Semifinal Matchup Against Linda Nosková
Svitolina advances to face Czech player Linda Nosková in the semifinals, according to Eurosport Deutschland and tennisnet.com. Nosková secured the top spot in Group 1 ahead of Jessica Pegula, Coco Gauff, and Marta Kostyuk. The semifinal clash takes place on November 15, 2026, at 3:00 AM local venue time in Indian Wells, California, as reported by Vietnam.vn.
Head-to-head records show Nosková leading 2:1 across previous meetings, though Svitolina won their most recent encounter in April at the quarterfinals of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart with a score of 7:6 (7:2), 7:5, according to Vietnam.vn. Svitolina remains the only player in the semifinal field who has previously won the WTA Finals title, having lifted the trophy in 2018 in Singapore after defeating Sloane Stephens 3:6, 6:2, 6:2, Eurosport reported.
Group Stage Dynamics and Muchová’s Exit
Karolina Muchová finished her debut appearance at the WTA Finals with zero wins and two losses in Group 2, following defeats to both Sabalenka and Svitolina, according to Tennis World DE. After winning the opening set 6:3 by breaking Svitolina three times, Muchová acknowledged losing her tactical rhythm in the second and third sets.
“Nach dem ersten Satz ließ ich sie gewissermaßen ins Match zurückkommen,” Muchová told Tennis World DE. “Es wurde für mich immer schwieriger, ich verlor meinen Rhythmus und sie fand ihren.”
Muchová struggled with unforced errors during the closing sets, committing 22 unforced errors against 11 winners, while Svitolina recorded 17 winners and 17 unforced errors during the same span, Tennis World DE reported. Svitolina took a medical timeout for thigh discomfort after dropping the first set before mounting her comeback.
WTA Finals Move to Indian Wells Amid Regional Conflict
The 2026 WTA Finals carry a total prize pool of 10.0 million US dollars and take place on outdoor hard courts in Indian Wells, California, following a relocation from Saudi Arabia in July 2026, SPORT1 reported. The tournament was moved after United States military strikes against Iran in February 2026 led to regional conflict, according to SPORT1.
Defending champion Elena Rybakina withdrew prior to the tournament due to illness, leaving the field without the world number one. The other semifinal match features Jessica Pegula against Mirra Andreeva, scheduled for November 15, 2026, at 3:00 AM, Vietnam.vn reported.
Earlier coverage: Elina Svitolina Defeats Aryna Sabalenka to Reach WTA Finals Semifinals
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