Just two days after celebrating her daughter Skaï’s fourth birthday, Elina Svitolina has another major reason to celebrate: the Ukrainian player has officially qualified for the WTA Finals, securing the seventh of eight coveted spots at the season-ending championships in Indian Wells.
The 32-year-old is heading to the WTA Finals for the fourth time in her career, returning to the elite stage for the first time since 2019. She has fond memories of the tournament, having lifted the trophy in 2018 without losing a single match before reaching the final again the following year.
Seven years after her last WTA Finals appearance, Svitolina is returning to the season-ending showpiece with an extra-special distinction: she becomes the first mother to qualify for the singles event since Kim Clijsters in 2010.
Svitolina is the seventh player to secure her place in the eight-woman field, joining world No. 1 Elena Rybakina, Indian Wells and Miami champion Aryna Sabalenka, Roland Garros winner Mirra Andreeva, Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova, and American stars Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula. With just one place remaining, the race for the final qualification spot is heating up.
Svitolina’s return to the tournament has been fueled by an outstanding 2026 campaign, highlighted by two titles that brought her career tally to 20 — the fifth-highest total among active players. She captured the WTA 1000 Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome and opened her season by winning the WTA 250 ASB Classic in Auckland. She also reached the final of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
