Off-court noise about her private life and struggles with injuries meant things were not in the pink of health for Elina Svitolina ahead of her WTA Finals campaign at Indian Wells. She did not have a great start to the tournament, losing her first match to Mirra Andreeva and looking down and out after dropping the first set to Karolina Muchova in her second match. Cut forward to forty-eight hours, and the former World No.3 had scripted a terrific comeback and was on her way to the semifinals, which saw her thank a special person on the court.

“Inspiration for sure,” said Svitolina in her on-court interview after beating Aryna Sabalenka. “I know how hard it is working and taking care of a child of course. I miss my daughter Skaï a lot when I’m on the road. Unfortunately she’s not with me here. I know she’s sleeping peacefully now. Tomorrow I’m gonna have a FaceTime with her and have such a great moment, all this sweetness from her.”

This was not the first time Svitolina had done well at the WTA Finals, as the former World No.3 had won the event in 2018 and finished runner-up in 2019. However, this was the first time she had played at this event since becoming a mother, which was understandably an emotional moment for her.

Playing the former World No. 1 in her final group stage match, Svitolina needed to win against the Belarusian to qualify for the semifinals. She did not start the match well, losing serve first to go 2-0 down. However, it was not long before Svitolina broke back to make it 2-2, and soon put more pressure on the Belarusian’s serve, winning four of the next five games and taking the first set 6-3.

The second set saw a complete shift of momentum as it was Sabalenka who rallied back, breaking Svitolina’s serve twice to take a 5-1 lead. Even though the Ukrainian retrieved one break, it was not enough, as the Belarusian closed out the set 6-3. Just when one thought that now it would be the former World No.1’s turn to dominate, she broke in the very first game of the third set, taking a 1-0 lead.

That would be the last moment of joy for Sabalenka in the match, as Svitolina won six games in a row from that point on to win the set 6-1 and close out the match. Coming into the match, the head-to-head was 6-1 in favor of the Belarusian, with the only win for Svitolina coming way back in 2020, when she won in Strasbourg. Even when the two met in the Australian Open semifinal this year, the Ukrainian could only win five games against the former World No.1, making this win even sweeter.

This is not the first time that Svitolina has shown her best tennis in a deciding set. Just look at her previous match against Muchova. The Ukrainian had a long medical timeout after losing the first set and looked like her time at Indian Wells was coming to an end. However, she got back up to play some of her best tennis, especially in the third set, where she beat the Czech 6-2.

The emotion of the great win did not make Svitolina waver from her strong stance against shaking hands with Belarusian or Russian players. The Ukrainian player has maintained this ever since geopolitical tensions arose between the two nations in 2022, and the World No. 6 has stood by her decision, as she did not shake hands with Mirra Andreeva after her first match at Indian Wells.

While Svitolina is having a resurgent season in 2026, with her win over Sabalenka being her tenth Top-10 win of the season, second only to her tally of 11 Top-10 wins back in 2017, the season’s end could not have been more opposite for Sabalenka.

Aryna Sabalenka’s Season Ends in Disappointment

While her 2026 season started with only one loss in her first 24 matches, it ended with four losses in six matches for Sabalenka. The Belarusian’s form fell off a cliff in the last part of the season, especially after her runner-up finish at the US Open. Against Svitolina at the Finals, the former World No.1 did not look at her best, especially in the third set where she lost her ball toss while serving. Instead of looking frustrated, Sabalenka just rolled her eyes and casually shrugged off the situation.

This has been Sabalenka’s trend this year, where the Belarusian has struggled in crunch moments in big matches, something which used to be her strength. Her on-court behavior was also indicative of the interview she gave after losing to Andreeva in her previous round, in which she cracked jokes at her own expense.

While the season did not end well, Sabalenka will hope to get herself going in the new season. The Belarusian has already made big calls about her team, and will hope that brings on a reset as far as the on-court results are concerned.