Elina Svitolina highlights big change in Aryna Sabalenka’s game after WTA Finals win
Elina Svitolina has admitted that Aryna Sabalenka’s mistakes allowed her back into their round-robin match at the WTA Finals.
The group stage contest was set up for a thrilling finale on Friday in Indian Wells, as Sabalenka levelled proceedings to make it a set apiece.
The Belarusian held a 6-1 winning record against the Ukrainian, with Svitolina‘s sole victory coming back in 2020, and it looked like she would extend her streak after breaking at the start of the third set.
However, Sabalenka has developed a bad habit of collapsing this season, and Svitolina took full advantage, winning the final six games in a 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 victory to advance to the semi-finals of the competition.
For Sabalenka – who lost 11 games in a row in defeats to Diana Shnaider and Mirra Andreeva at the French Open and WTA Finals in 2026, respectively – this was another damaging setback for the former world No 1.
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Sabalenka, who has fallen to third in the WTA Tour rankings behind Elena Rybakina and Mirra Andreeva, hit 35 unforced errors to Svitolina’s 24 in a performance that was very different from their semi-final meeting at this year’s Australian Open.
The four-time major winner blitzed Svitolina for the loss of just three games in Melbourne, with the former world No 3 admitting she was outplayed Down Under.
In January, she said, “To be fair, I thought I was returning today quite well. I think I was returning good, but then her second shot was unbelievable.
“She was returning well quick, and then she had another punch coming on the second shot after her serve. Of course, when you play players like [Sabalenka], you don’t have too much time to waste.”
In that match, Sabalenka won 43.8% of first return points but on Friday, that fell to 35% on the first serve, and the 28-year-old only saved two of the eight break points she faced.
And after the win, Svitolina – who will face Linda Noskova in the semi-finals of the WTA Finals – painted a rather different picture from their Australian Open encounter, where Sabalenka hit 29 winners and just 15 unforced errors.
She said, “I think she gave me a few opportunities. I am happy [with] the way I could find a few good shots. I think she gave me a few opportunities to be back in that third set.
“For me, it was important to just hit the ball through the court and find depth on my shots. Generally, just happy with the fighting spirit.”
Sabalenka looks like a shadow of the player who reached world No 1 and won four majors. The Belarus star seems mentally fragile out on court and doesn’t seem to trust her game like she used to.
In the past, she could temper the errors with a sufficient amount of winners. But the fear factor around her appears to be gone. It seems a big off-season lies ahead for her.
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