Aryna Sabalenka’s year just keeps going from bad to worse. After losing her hold on the top spot to Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina earlier in the year, she is now in danger of losing the No 2 spot as well.
The Belarussian on Wednesday was decimated 6-4, 6-0 by Russia’s Mirra Andreeva, the challenger to her position as the second-best player on the WTA Tour, with the teenager rattling off 11 consecutive games to power her way into the last four of the WTA Finals.
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The reigning French Open champion is in imperious form, having hammered Elina Svitolina by the same scoreline in her first match and her victory over Sabalenka saw her overtake the 28-year-old in the live WTA rankings.
Andreeva entered the tournament trailing Sabalenka by 179 points (6,306 to 6,485), meaning she needed to outscore Sabalenka by at least 180 points across the event.
At the WTA Finals, players earn 200 points for each round-robin win and 0 points for a loss. With Andreeva at 2-0 and Sabalenka at 1-1 in Group 2, the Russian currently holds a 21-point lead.
Following her resounding win, Andreeva, who gave coach Conchita Martinez "82% of the credit"
