World number two Aryna Sabalenka’s WTA Finals campaign came to a disappointing close after she fell short of the semifinals at the season-ending championships.
Published On 14 Nov 2026
Elina Svitolina took control of the deciding set to complete a 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 upset on Friday, advancing to the semifinals of the WTA Finals in Indian Wells, where she will take on Linda Noskova.
Svitolina repeatedly absorbed and redirected Sabalenka’s power, breaking the Belarusian six times before closing out her first win over her opponent in more than six years with a forehand winner on her fourth match point.
The victory lifted Svitolina’s head-to-head record against Sabalenka to 2-6 across their career meetings.
“It was a bit of a roller-coaster match,” Svitolina told reporters.
“I played well in the first set but lost a little bit of rhythm. She played well in the second and served much better. I was really happy with the way I could come back in the third after losing the first game.”
No handshake
The Ukrainian once again declined to shake hands with Sabalenka after the match, upholding her refusal to do so with Russian and Belarusian players since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Svitolina, the 2018 WTA Finals champion, will play Noskova on Saturday for a spot in the final.
The defeat brought Sabalenka’s season to a frustrating finish.
The second seed began the year by winning the Brisbane International in January, then captured Indian Wells and the Miami Open in March to complete the “Sunshine Double,” yet failed to add another title thereafter.
Sabalenka also relinquished the world number one ranking to Elena Rybakina at the US Open.
She arrived at the season finale among the favorites after Rybakina withdrew on the eve of the tournament due to illness.
Sabalenka chose not to speak with reporters following Friday’s loss.
Andreeva rolls on
Earlier in the day, tournament debutant Andreeva extended her strong showing with a 6-2, 6-1 victory over compatriot Diana Shnaider, her third straight-sets win of the week.
Shnaider, Andreeva’s friend and doubles partner, stepped in for Karolina Muchova, who withdrew ahead of the final round-robin day with a gastrointestinal illness.
Andreeva had already booked her semifinal berth before facing Shnaider and will next meet American Jessica Pegula on Saturday.
The eight-day, $10m event was relocated from Riyadh to the Indian Wells Tennis Garden because of the United States-Israeli war on Iran. From next year, the tournament will be held in Charlotte.
