Aryna Sabalenka lost the final six games in a row as the former world No 1 crashed out of the WTA Finals as the hands of Elina Svitolina, who advanced to the final four and booked a meeting with Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova.
Just two days on from losing 11 games in a row in a crushing defeat to Mirra Andreeva, Sabalenka’s season came to a disappointing end as Svitolina claimed her first victory against her in six years to reach the semi-finals.
Svitolina twice recovered from a break down at the start of a set, and prevailed in the decider after Sabalenka responded in the second, to win 6-3 3-6 6-1 against the world No 2, whose unravelling continued a theme of her 2026 season.
Sabalenka did not win a grand slam title in 2026, losing in the finals of the Australian Open and US Open to Elena Rybakina, who replaced her at world No 1, and also exited the WTA Finals at the group stage for the first time 2021.
Svitolina, who is playing at the WTA Finals for the first time since 2019, had lost five matches in a row against Sabalenka. “Very happy with the performance. It was not an easy match. It was a little bit of a roller coaster,” Svitolina told Sky Sports.
“I played well in the first set, she stepped up the game and the third I tried to put ‘extra’ ball over the net”
After spending almost two hours on court, Svitolina will return to face Wimbledon champion Noskova on Saturday. “I knew from the start of the tournament this would be a possibility but I have no regrets or complaints. I’m in the semi-final and that’s amazing for me,” she added.
Andreeva, who has a semi-final against Jessica Pegula, dispatched Diana Shnaider â called up as a replacement after Karolina Muchova withdrew with illness two hours before the match â 6-1 6-1 in 55 minutes and has still to drop a set.
Aged 19 years and 193 days, the French Open champion becomes the youngest player in the tournament’s history to win all three round-robin matches, breaking the record set by Serena Williams in 2000 at 20 years and 34 days.
Includes reporting from PA
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