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

Elina 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.

With 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.”

The 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.

Earlier 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.