Svitolina beats Sabalenka to reach WTA Finals semifinal

Elina Svitolina reached the semifinals of the WTA Finals by beating Aryna Sabalenka 6-3 3-6 6-1. The Ukrainian player took the first set and withstood Sabalenka's powerful serves.

Sabalenka recovered in the second set to win it and changed the balance of the match. In the final set, momentum swung back to Svitolina. The early games of the third set were tightly contested, but Svitolina broke Sabalenka's serve to lead 3-1. She then pulled away to win the set and the match.

After the match, Svitolina said she was pleased with her performance. She described the match as difficult and full of ups and downs. Saying she had known this possibility could arise since the start of the tournament, Svitolina expressed great happiness at being in the semifinals.

In the semifinal, Svitolina will face Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova. The match will be played at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

Mirra Andreeva, who finished first in Group 2 with a 3-0 record, completed her group matches on Friday by beating Diana Shnaider 6-2 6-1. Andreeva won 12 of her last 13 games and conceded 11 games in total during the group stage. In the semifinal on Saturday, she will face Jessica Pegula.

Shnaider entered the tournament as a replacement for Karolina Muchova, who withdrew due to a stomach and intestinal illness. Shnaider, who came in as the second alternate, played her first singles match at the WTA Finals. She and her fellow Russian Andreeva had earned their places in the doubles event at the tournament last year.