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Aryna Sabalenka apologized Saturday for an on-court outburst during her defeat to Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina at the WTA Finals in Indian Wells, California. The WTA Finals is the season-ending tournament for the women’s tour’s top eight players.
Footage shared widely on social media appeared to show the former world number one swearing in a tirade that some commenters interpreted as aimed at Svitolina or Ukrainians in general. Sabalenka, a four-time Grand Slam winner, lost 3-6, 6-3, 1-6 on Friday and was eliminated.
In an Instagram post, she said her comment was not directed at Svitolina but at a small group of spectators who were aggressively cheering her mistakes. “I reacted emotionally in the moment,” she wrote. “That said, I should have handled my frustration differently, and I apologize to anyone I offended.” She added that Svitolina played a great match.
Svitolina, who has refused to shake hands with players from Russia and its ally Belarus since Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, said a match against Sabalenka can carry extra weight for her fans.
“As we see, there are many, many Ukrainians, many, many flags,” she said, adding that Sabalenka has her fans and she has hers. She said she hopes matches between them are respected, noting that some past matches have brought unpleasant comments about the war.
Svitolina reached the title match on Saturday by beating Linda Noskova 6-2, 6-1 in 65 minutes, as Noskova hit 11 double faults. The 32-year-old won the event in 2018 and lost the 2019 final to Ashleigh Barty. She said she did “pretty much everything” well.
Svitolina will face 19-year-old Mirra Andreeva of Russia, who beat Jessica Pegula 6-3, 6-4 in one hour and 25 minutes.
Andreeva, who won her first major at the French Open this year, is assured of rising from third to second in the world rankings. She is the youngest finalist since 17-year-old Maria Sharapova in 2004 and joined Serena Williams and Chris Evert as the only players to win their first four matches at the event in straight sets.
Because of the round-robin format, a stage in which players face each other in groups, Svitolina can avenge her lopsided loss to Andreeva on Monday. “I will do my homework with my coaches and try to find the key,” she said.
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