Svitolina gets a shot at revenge on Noskova, two months after the BJK Cup final, for a place in the WTA Finals final
Elina Svitolina, the 2018 champion, faces Wimbledon winner Linda Noskova in the second semi-final of the WTA Finals in Indian Wells, two months after losing to the Czech in the Billie Jean King Cup final.
Elina Svitolina, WTA Finals 2026 | © Zuma / PsNewz
Elina Svitolina has a score to settle. Two months after losing to Linda Noskova in the Billie Jean King Cup final in Shenzhen, the Ukrainian faces the Czech again on Saturday in Indian Wells, this time for a place in the final of the WTA Finals. Their semi-final follows the first one, between Jessica Pegula and Mirra Andreeva, which starts at noon local time.
Noskova leads their head-to-head 3-1. She won 6-3, 7-6 (5) in Shenzhen, after two wins in 2024, at the Australian Open, where Svitolina retired, and in Monterrey. Svitolina’s only win came this year, in the quarter-finals in Stuttgart.
The former champion against the debutant
Svitolina, the sixth seed, is the only former champion left in the draw, after her title in 2018, and is playing her first semi-final at the event since 2019. She lost her opening match to Andreeva, then came back to beat Karolina Muchova and, on Friday, a fragile Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 3-6, 6-1, both times in three sets.
Noskova, the Wimbledon champion, is making her debut at the WTA Finals and topped Group 1 after wins over Marta Kostyuk and Coco Gauff, before losing to Pegula after holding a match point. “It’s obviously one of the most important [tournaments] that I’ve probably ever played in my career,” the Czech said.
The winner will face Pegula or Andreeva in Sunday’s final.
