Svitolina beats Sabalenka 6-3 3-6 6-1 to end Sabalenka's season at WTA Finals
On 14 November 2026 Elina Svitolina defeated Aryna Sabalenka 6-3 3-6 6-1 at the WTA Finals, eliminating the former world number one and ending Sabalenka's season. The win secured Svitolina a place in the tournament's knockout stage.
Sabalenka arrived at the WTA Finals having reached the knockout stage in each of the past four years and was bidding for a first title at the season-ending event. This season she won three other titles, including the Sunshine Double at Indian Wells and Miami, and entered the Finals with the best win percentage on tour (80.0%, 47-11). She finished the year having lost in the finals of both the Australian Open and the US Open and was dethroned as world number one after 99 weeks by Elena Rybakina following their US Open title match in September.
The match swung in momentum several times before Svitolina closed it out. Sabalenka produced an immediate break with an angled forehand winner but conceded the first set after losing six of seven games, including being broken twice to love. She recovered in the second set, forcing a decider, yet dropped the final six games as Svitolina prevailed 6-3 3-6 6-1.
Sabalenka showed glimpses of control in the second set when a reduction in unforced errors led to a double break and a 5-1 lead, and she served out that set at her second opportunity. Frustration returned in the third set: she took out her anger on her racquet and at one point crouched on the back of the court after losing a point. Sabalenka saved two break points in the decider but then produced a double fault that allowed Svitolina to take a decisive third break.
Svitolina, the 2018 WTA Finals champion, described the match in mental terms and stressed her approach. "It was an extremely tough match, especially mentally. I was just trying to play one point at a time," said Svitolina, 32. "This is the tournament where you bring everything to the table and try to play every game as if it's the last."
Group-stage action saw Mirra Andreeva finish with a perfect record, guaranteeing top spot on her tournament debut after victories over Svitolina and Sabalenka and a 6-2 6-1 win over Diana Shnaider. The 19-year-old Andreeva lost just 11 of 47 games across three straight-set wins, won 12 of the last 13 games against Shnaider in 55 minutes, and became the youngest player to reach the knockout stages of the Finals in 17 years while surpassing Serena Williams as the youngest this century to win each of her first three matches at the tournament. Andreeva confirmed there was no lingering issue after an exchange with Jessica Pegula, telling reporters Pegula has since apologised and there is "no drama."
Across the season Sabalenka recorded the most straight-set wins by any player (43) and won eight of her 13 matches against fellow top-10 opponents, with two of those defeats coming in major finals to Rybakina and two arriving this week. She has reached at least the semi-finals at 13 of the past 16 Grand Slams she contested but has lost five major finals while winning four over the past four seasons.
Svitolina will face Czech world number eight Linda Noskova in the WTA Finals semi-finals, while Mirra Andreeva plays Jessica Pegula for the other spot in Sunday's final.