Elina Svitolina gets honest on facing Aryna Sabalenka in WTA Finals shootout
Elina Svitolina has declared it will be a “tough task” to beat “great player” Aryna Sabalenka in the pair’s crucial match at the 2026 WTA Finals.
Svitolina kept her hopes of qualifying for the WTA Finals semi-finals alive with a 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 win against Karolina Muchova in her second round robin match on Wednesday.
The world No 6 suffered a heavy 4-6, 0-6 loss to Mirra Andreeva in her opening match in Group 2 in Indian Wells.
Sabalenka lost by an identical scoreline to Andreeva after she overcame Muchova 7-6(2), 7-5 in her first match.
Andreeva has secured her progress to the semi-finals as the group winner, while Muchova cannot advance.
The winner of the round robin match between Svitolina and Sabalenka on Friday will join Andreeva in the semi-finals, while the loser will be eliminated.
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Svitolina’s comeback victory against Muchova was her 11th win after losing the first set in a match this season.
Asked about this stat in a post-match interview with the WTA, Svitolina said: “It’s a good stat.
“It gives me confidence when I’m playing long matches. I don’t mind to play three-setters. It shows that I’m not in a bad form.”
The 32-year-old addressed her decisive showdown with world No 2 Sabalenka.
“Of course, it’s a tough task, but I try to recover firstly after today, and then work on a few things tomorrow to adjust,” Svitolina said.
“She’s a great player, so for me it will be important to focus on a few things that I have to do to.”
The Ukrainian star added: “Yeah, really proud of the effort [against Muchova].
“It was not an easy match for me. She played really well on the first set.
“I tried to find some openings in the second, but really happy I could stay, could fight and find my good level in the third.
“I tried just to find a better level. I think some opportunities that I missed in the first set just made the difference.
“Then in the second, I tried just to put my head down and fight and just serve better, play better from the baseline.
“She’s a very tricky player. She plays with lots of variety, so you need to find some opportunities in a rally.”
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