Table of Contents
Aryna Sabalenka’s 2026 season ended in disappointment as Elina Svitolina beat the former world number one 6-3 3-6 6-1 to claim her place in the knockout stage at the WTA Finals. Sabalenka reacted to losing a point by crouching to the ground and taking her frustration out on her racquet as a semi-final spot slipped away in the decisive set.
Svitolina Advances to Last Four
The Belarusian forced a deciding set after unravelling late in the first, but lost the final six games to slump to defeat. It came two days after the four-time major winner lost each of the last 11 games in a heavy defeat to Mirra Andreeva. Ukraine’s 2018 champion Svitolina will now meet Czech world number eight Linda Noskova in the semi-finals after finishing group runner-up behind Andreeva.
Svitolina is competing at the tournament for the first time since reaching the 2019 final, having returned to the top 10 this season for the first time since 2021. “It was an extremely tough match, especially mentally. I was just trying to play one point at a time,” said 32-year-old Svitolina, as reported by BBC News. “This is the tournament where you bring everything to the table and try to play every game as if it’s the last.”
Sabalenka’s Difficult Conclusion to 2026
This marked the first season since 2022 that Sabalenka failed to win a major, having lost in the finals of both the Australian Open and the US Open. The 28-year-old claimed three other titles, including a Sunshine Double at Indian Wells and Miami, and arrived at the Finals boasting the tour’s best win percentage at 81 percent with a 47-11 record. However, that was not enough to maintain her world number one ranking, which she lost to Elena Rybakina after the US Open in September.
Sabalenka recorded the most straight-set wins on the tour this season with 43 and won eight of 13 meetings against fellow top-10 players, though two of those losses came in major finals against Rybakina and two arrived during this week. She was bidding for her first title at the season-ending WTA Finals, having reached the knockout stages in each of the past four years and lost to Rybakina in the previous year’s showpiece.
After producing an early break in the match, Sabalenka conceded the first set by losing six of seven games, including twice being broken to love. She responded strongly by reducing unforced errors to secure a double break and a 5-1 lead before serving out the second set at the second attempt. However, inconsistency and frustration returned in the decider as Svitolina stayed solid to turn the match around.
Andreeva Continues Impressive Debut
Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva finished the group stage with a perfect record by beating compatriot Diana Shnaider 6-2 6-1, securing top spot in her group. Shnaider entered the match as a late replacement after Karolina Muchova withdrew due to illness. French Open champion Andreeva, 19, became the youngest player to reach the tournament knockout stages in 17 years and surpassed Serena Williams as the youngest player to win her first three matches at the Finals this century, dropping just 11 of 47 games across those three straight-set victories.
Andreeva is set to face Jessica Pegula for a place in the Sunday showpiece after Pegula overcame a match point to defeat Linda Noskova. The matchup will be the first tour-level meeting between Andreeva and Pegula, following an incident last week where Pegula referred to Andreeva as a “diva” in a private conversation picked up on a live stream. Andreeva confirmed this week that Pegula has since apologized and stated there is no ongoing drama.
