Elina Svitolina’s route back to the WTA Finals has revived memories of the week in Singapore when a player arriving out of form turned the season-ending draw into the finest title run of her career. Having secured her fourth Finals appearance, the world No. 6 will return to the elite eight in Indian Wells from November 8-15, seven years after lifting the trophy in Singapore.
Singapore turnaround from a late-season slump
Svitolina entered the closing stages of 2018 in difficult form. The then-24-year-old suffered consecutive Asian-swing defeats to Aryna Sabalenka in Wuhan and Aleksandra Krunic in Beijing, before Qiang Wang stopped her in the Hong Kong quarterfinals. She then withdrew from the final events in Moscow and Luxembourg, leaving her Finals qualification dependent on results elsewhere.
- Karolina Pliskova’s second-round loss to Vera Zvonareva in Moscow confirmed Svitolina’s second straight place at the WTA Finals.
- At the 2017 Finals, Svitolina had gone 1-2 in round-robin play and did not progress.
- She won only two games against Caroline Wozniacki in her opening match that year.
- Caroline Garcia beat her in a three-set contest, taking the deciding set 7-5.
- Svitolina finished that campaign in Singapore by beating Simona Halep in straight sets, though qualification was already beyond reach.
The outlook was hardly more encouraging when the 2018 draw began. Svitolina had won only twice since the US Open and was paired first with Petra Kvitova, who had beaten her in each of their previous seven meetings.
An unbeaten route through the Finals draw
The break between Hong Kong and Singapore proved vital. Svitolina arrived in Kallang with cleaner ball-striking, renewed conviction and the physical resilience required for the demanding three-set matches that followed. Earlier titles in Brisbane, Dubai and Rome had already shown her ceiling; Singapore brought her most complete run of the year.
| Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Round robin | Petra Kvitova | 6-3, 6-3 |
| Round robin | Karolina Pliskova | 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 |
| Round robin | Caroline Wozniacki | 5-7, 7-5, 6-3 |
| Semifinal | Kiki Bertens | 7-5, 6-7 (5), 6-4 |
| Final | Sloane Stephens | 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 |
Her straight-sets victory over Kvitova ended the Czech’s seven-match hold over her. Against Pliskova, whose Moscow defeat had helped open the qualification door, Svitolina recovered after dropping the second set. She then overturned a set deficit against defending champion Wozniacki to complete round-robin play unbeaten.
Bertens pushed her through another three-set semifinal, but Svitolina held firm. In the championship match, Stephens took the first set before Svitolina controlled the final two sets, 6-2, 6-2, to claim the season-ending crown.
The title carried Svitolina to a year-end ranking of No. 4. She described it as a personal statement rather than something she needed to prove to others, adding that her third-set performances showed the mental strength that separated her from the field.
A fourth Finals appearance awaits in Indian Wells
Svitolina returned to the Finals in Shenzhen the following season and won four more matches before Ashleigh Barty defeated her in the final. Now 32, she is back in the field after an extended absence, having added seven titles to her record and become a mother since her last appearance at the event.
Her Indian Wells qualification was clinched on October 17 after a season of 48 match wins, a return to the Top 10 and trophies in Auckland and Rome. The Ukrainian also reached the semifinals in Melbourne, Indian Wells, Stuttgart and Toronto, while finishing runner-up in Dubai.
- Ranking: World No. 6
- WTA Finals appearances: four
- 2026 titles: Auckland and Rome
- Other semifinal runs: Melbourne, Indian Wells, Stuttgart and Toronto
- Dubai result: finalist
Reflecting on her season in Wuhan, Svitolina said consistency had pleased her despite inevitable highs and lows across a long calendar. She felt she could have performed better at certain major stops, but said the deep tournament runs had pushed her to the limit physically and mentally.
She also framed the Finals return as especially meaningful after childbirth, an injury, surgery and the work required to return to the tour. Competing again against a younger generation at the year-end event, she said, represented a major achievement.
The remaining Finals race
Svitolina joins a field that already includes Sabalenka, Roland Garros champion Mirra Andreeva, Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova, reigning WTA Finals winner Elena Rybakina, Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula. One singles place remains open in the last weeks of the season.
When the draw is made in Indian Wells, Svitolina will again face the game’s leading players, carrying the experience of an unbeaten Singapore campaign that began with uncertainty and ended with the biggest trophy of her career.
