Svitolina knocks out Sabalenka to reach WTA Finals semi-finals

Elina Svitolina beat Aryna Sabalenka 6-3 3-6 6-1 in their decisive round-robin clash at the WTA Finals, ending the Belarusian's campaign and sending the Ukrainian into the semi-finals.

It was the first time since 2021 that Sabalenka had failed to progress to the last four of the season-ending event.

The match turned after Sabalenka squandered a foothold late in the opening exchanges, allowing Svitolina to drag the contest into a decider. Sabalenka's composure then deserted her: at one stage she hurled her racquet to the ground and sank down at the back of the court in frustration as the match slipped away, and she lost the final six games of the match in a row.

The defeat came only two days after Sabalenka had been thrashed by Mirra Andreeva, a match in which she lost the last 11 games in succession.

Svitolina, who won the title in 2018 and was runner-up the following year, described the win as a mental battle. "It was an extremely tough match, especially mentally. I was just trying to play one point at a time," she said. "This is the tournament where you bring everything to the table and try to play every game as if it's the last."

It is Svitolina's first appearance at the WTA Finals since that 2019 final, and comes in a season that has seen her return to the world's top 10 for the first time since 2021.

She will now face Czech world number eight Linda Noskova in the semi-finals, having finished runner-up in her group behind Andreeva, who faces Jessica Pegula for the other place in Sunday's final.

For Sabalenka, the loss confirms the first season since 2022 in which she has gone without a Grand Slam title. The 28-year-old reached the finals of both the Australian Open and the US Open this year but lost on both occasions, though she did claim three other titles across the season.

The tournament, held this year at Indian Wells, is in transition for the WTA Tour after the governing body's deal to stage its flagship event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, ended early. The Finals are due to move to Charlotte for a three-year run from next year, according to Yahoo Sports.

The event had been expected to be built around new world number one Elena Rybakina and the player she overtook at the top of the rankings, Sabalenka, but Rybakina withdrew on the eve of the tournament because of a viral illness. Marta Kostyuk was called up as her replacement.

Svitolina's win over Sabalenka followed a comeback victory against Karolina Muchova in her previous round-robin match, a result that Tennis365 reported was her 11th win this season after losing the opening set. In that tie, the winner of the Svitolina-Sabalenka match was always going to advance to the semi-finals, with the loser eliminated from the tournament.