WTA Finals
Elina Svitolina beat Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 on Friday 13 November to reach the semi-finals of the WTA Finals in Indian Wells and knock out the No. 2 seed. Earlier, Mirra Andreeva beat Diana Shnaider 6-2, 6-1 after Karolína Muchová withdrew from their match with a stomach illness. The semi-finals are on Saturday: Jessica Pegula plays Andreeva, and Linda Nosková plays Svitolina.
Svitolina Wins the Decider
The match was a straight shootout for the second semi-final place in Group 2, and Svitolina took it in an hour and 53 minutes. She won the first set 6-3, Sabalenka levelled by taking the second 6-3, and Svitolina won six of the last seven games. She broke serve six times from eight break points, won 86 points to Sabalenka’s 72 and hit six aces. Sabalenka won only 17 of the 33 points played on her first serve.
It was Svitolina’s second win over Sabalenka in eight meetings. Sabalenka, who won the BNP Paribas Open on these courts in March, goes out after losing two of her three group matches, the other a 6-4, 6-0 defeat by Andreeva on Wednesday.
Muchová Withdraws, Andreeva Wins Again
Muchová, who had already lost to Sabalenka and Svitolina and could not reach the semi-finals, withdrew before play on Friday because of a stomach illness. Shnaider, the alternate, took her place and Andreeva beat her 6-2, 6-1 in 55 minutes, winning 56 points to 29. Andreeva finished the group with three straight-sets wins. Muchová is the second player to withdraw from the event, after Elena Rybakina pulled out with a viral illness before it began.
Group 2 Final Standings
| Group 2 | W-L |
|---|---|
| Mirra Andreeva (group winner) | 3-0 |
| Elina Svitolina (second) | 2-1 |
| Aryna Sabalenka (out) | 1-2 |
| Karolína Muchová (withdrew) | 0-2 |
| Diana Shnaider (alternate) | 0-1 |
Doubles
Gabriela Dabrowski and Luisa Stefani, the top seeds, won Group 1 with three wins from three, beating Hsieh Su-wei and Jeļena Ostapenko 2-6, 7-6(2), 10-3. Hanyu Guo and Kristina Mladenovic took second place by beating Elise Mertens and Zhang Shuai 6-7(4), 6-3, 12-10. In the doubles semi-finals, Dabrowski and Stefani play Kateřina Siniaková and Taylor Townsend, and Guo and Mladenovic play Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini.
The Semi-Finals
| Semi-final | Time (UK) | Head-to-head |
|---|---|---|
| Jessica Pegula (5) v Mirra Andreeva (3) | 20:00 | First singles meeting |
| Linda Nosková (8) v Elina Svitolina (6) | After Pegula v Andreeva | Nosková leads 2-1 |
Both singles semi-finals are on Saturday 14 November, starting at noon in Indian Wells, and the final is on Sunday 15 November. Our WTA Finals semi-final tips have our picks, and Thursday’s results are in our day five report. The WTA Finals are live on Sky Sports Tennis and NOW in the UK; our live-stream guide has the details.