WTA Finals: Svitolina completes semi-final line-up as Sabalenka crashes out

In the final match of the evening, Svitolina sent World No 2 Aryna Sabalenka packing with a hard-fought 6-3 3-6 6-1 victory, as Sabalenka once again endured a disastrous finish to her match, echoing the 6-0 drubbing she received at the hands of Andreeva a few days earlier.

Svitolina recovered from an early break to take the first set 6-3, but Sabalenka hit back to level.

Sabalenka started the deciding third set with a break of her own, but her challenge quickly unravelled as Svitolina rattled off the next six games in a row to secure her return to reach the semi-finals of the season-ending showpiece for the first time since 2019.

"It was an extremely tough match, especially mentally. I was just trying to play one point at a time," she said afterwards.

"This is the tournament where you bring everything to the table and try to play every game as if it's the last."

Earlier, World No 3 Andreeva comfortably booked her place in the last four with a 6-2 6-1 drubbing of Diana Shnaider, who came in as a late alternate after Karolina Muchova withdrew shortly before the match with a gastrointestinal illness.

"Unfortunately, I have to withdraw from today's match due to gastrointestinal issues. It's not how I wanted to end my season, but there's a lot to be proud of and I'm already looking forward to next year," Muchova said in a statement.

With Shnaider called into action on short notice and lacking match readiness, the contest was a one-sided affair, with Andreeva completing the rout in 55 minutes, breaking her opponent's serve three times in the first set and three more in the second.

Andreeva had already secured first place in Group 2 with straight-set wins over Svitolina and Sabalenka earlier in the tournament.

Saturday's semi-finals will see Svitolina take on Group 1 winner Linda Noskova, while Andreeva, who won Group 2, faces Jessica Pegula.

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