Sabalenka crashes out of season-ending WTA Finals after losing to Svitolina

SaveSharefacebookxwhatsapp-strokecopylinkAryna Sabalenka crashed out of the season-ending championships on Friday after losing to Elina Svitolina in a group-stage clash [Matthew Stockman/Getty Images via AFP]By ReutersPublished On 14 Nov 202614 Nov 2026Elina Svitolina overwhelmed Aryna Sabalenka in the deciding set to seal a ⁠6-3, 3-6, 6-1 upset on Friday and reach the semifinals of the season-ending WTA Finals in Indian Wells, where she will face Linda Noskova.Svitolina absorbed and redirected Sabalenka’s power effectively, breaking the ⁠Belarusian six times before sealing her first victory over her opponent in more than six years with a forehand winner on her fourth match point.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Goalkeeper Owono handed 12-match ban after De Miguel deathlist 2 of 3‘Sandpapergate’: David Warner accuses Cricket Australia of ‘cover-up’list 3 of 3Salah breaks Egypt scoring record, Tunisia lose to Libya in AFCON qualifierend of listWith the win, Svitolina improved to 2-6 against Sabalenka in 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.”Elina Svitolina of Ukraine celebrates her win against Aryna Sabalenka [Matthew Stockman/Getty Images via AFP]No handshakeThe Ukrainian again did not shake hands with Sabalenka after the match, maintaining her policy of not doing so with Russian and Belarusian players following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.Svitolina, the 2018 WTA Finals champion, will face Noskova on ⁠Saturday for a place in the final.The defeat ended Sabalenka’s season ⁠on a disappointing note.The second seed won Brisbane International in January and then Indian Wells and the Miami Open in March to complete the “Sunshine Double” but did not claim another title after that.Sabalenka also surrendered the world number one ⁠ranking to Elena Rybakina at the US Open.She had entered the season finale among the favourites after Rybakina withdrew on the eve of ⁠the tournament because of illness.Sabalenka declined to speak to the ⁠media following Friday’s loss.Aryna Sabalenka cools down between games while playing Elina Svitolina [Matthew Stockman/Getty Images via AFP]Andreeva rollsEarlier in the day, tournament debutant Andreeva continued her impressive run with a 6-2, 6-1 win over fellow Russian Diana Shnaider, her third straight-sets victory of the week.Shnaider, Andreeva’s friend and doubles partner, replaced Karolina Muchova, who ‌withdrew before the final day of round-robin matches with a gastrointestinal illness.Andreeva had already secured her place in the semifinals before facing Shnaider and will meet American Jessica Pegula on Saturday.The eight-day, $10m ‌tournament was moved from Riyadh to Indian Wells Tennis Garden due to the United States-Israeli war on Iran. The event will be played in Charlotte starting next year.