Svitolina beats Sabalenka to reach WTA Finals semi-finals

Match result and next opponent

Svitolina won the match with a score of 6-3 3-6 6-1 after momentum shifted between the players. She will face Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova in Saturday's semi-final at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. The Ukrainian player expressed happiness with her performance despite calling the match difficult and like a roller coaster. Sabalenka took control of the second set before losing the final six games in the deciding set.

Andreeva victory and withdrawals

Mirra Andreeva defeated Diana Shnaider with scores of 6-2 6-1 to complete her round-robin play on Friday. Andreeva won Group 2 with a perfect 3-0 record and will play Jessica Pegula in the other semi-final. Shnaider was a late replacement for Karolina Muchova who withdrew due to a gastrointestinal illness. Elena Rybakina also dropped out before the tournament began citing a viral illness and exhaustion.

Sabalenka season context

This marks the first season since 2022 where Sabalenka failed to win a major title this year. During this campaign, she was defeated in the finals of the Australian Open and the US Open. The event carries a prize fund of $10 million and runs for eight days starting last Sunday. Sabalenka arrived with an 81 percent win percentage but could not maintain her position as world number one.