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Aryna Sabalenka crashes out of WTA Finals as Elina Svitolina books last-four spot

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.

✦ Extractive summary — built from the sources' own reporting•From 3 sources•2 min read•Updated November 14, 2026, 9:16 AM UTC
Key points
  • 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.
  • 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.

Elina Svitolina defeated Aryna Sabalenka over three compelling sets to reach the semi-finals of the WTA Finals in Indian Wells.

Aryna Sabalenka's season ends in disappointment as Elina Svitolina beats the former world number one to claim her place in the knockout stage at the WTA Finals.

Additional details
  • 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.
  • “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.
  • Andreeva, who has a semi-final against Jessica Pegula, dispatched Diana Shnaider – called up as a replacement after Karolina Muchova withdrew with illness two hours before the match – 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.
  • It was a little bit of a roller coaster,” Svitolina told Sky Sports.

How this summary was made: extractive summary — built from the sources' own reporting. It is drawn only from the reporting of the sources listed below — read the originals for full detail. How we summarize →

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Every article behind this summary — 4 articles from 3 outlets

Yahoo SportsNovember 14, 2026, 9:16 AM UTC → BBC SportNovember 14, 2026, 12:51 AM UTC → Sky SportsNovember 13, 2026, 11:43 PM UTC → Sky SportsNovember 13, 2026, 11:39 PM UTC →

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