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Sunday | November 15, 2026 | Dhaka

Svitolina stuns Sabalenka to reach semis of WTA Finals

 AFP, Indian Wells
 Published: 12:05 AM, 15 November 2026

Elina Svitolina produced an impressive performance to defeat world number one Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 on Friday and reach the semi-finals of the WTA Finals in Indian Wells, where she will face Linda Noskova.

The Ukrainian handled Sabalenka’s powerful shots effectively, breaking her opponent’s serve six times before sealing the victory with a forehand winner on her fourth match point.

The result marked Svitolina’s first win over the Belarusian in more than six years and improved her head-to-head record to 2-6.

Svitolina spoke about the tough moments in the match and praised herself for fighting back strongly in the deciding set.

“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.”

It is pertinent to mention that Svitolina once again refused to shake hands with Sabalenka, continuing her policy of avoiding handshakes with Russian and Belarusian players following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Meanwhile, the defeat brought Sabalenka’s season to an end. She won titles in Brisbane, Indian Wells and Miami earlier this year but failed to add another trophy afterwards. She also lost the world number one ranking to Elena Rybakina at the US Open.