Elina Svitolina at WTA Finals: New Coach Sergiy Stakhovsky Steps In
Elina Svitolina will walk into the WTA Finals in Indian Wells without the coach who has been by her side for the biggest stretch of her career. No Andrew Bettles in the box this time. Instead, a familiar Ukrainian face will take that seat – and it’s one with a history of upsetting giants.
Sergiy Stakhovsky, the man who once stunned Roger Federer on Centre Court at Wimbledon and collected four ATP titles along the way, has stepped in as Svitolina’s coach for the season-ending showpiece in California.
The change isn’t tactical. It’s personal.
Bettles out, Stakhovsky in
Speaking to BTU, Svitolina laid out the simple reason Bettles won’t be there.
“Andy Bettles’ wife is pregnant. Back at Roland Garros, he told me there was a chance she would give birth towards the end of the season, so there was a possibility he wouldn't be able to be here with me. And that's exactly what happened, as she's due to give birth this week,” she said.
The conversation in Paris triggered a quiet search. Svitolina knew she might need a stand-in, but she didn’t have to look far.
“So, back in the summer, I started thinking about who could step in. Sergiy [Stakhovsky] immediately came to mind because I've known him for a very long time. We train together a lot whenever I'm in Ukraine, and he's already been helping me anyway.
“For me, it was a very easy decision. It was also great that we had the opportunity to work together at the Billie Jean King Cup. He got to see how different players compete and became more involved in tennis again. So it was an easy choice for me, and I'm happy he agreed to help me this week.”
There’s history there, and not just on the practice court. Stakhovsky joined the Ukrainian setup at the Billie Jean King Cup, where Svitolina helped drive Ukraine all the way to the final. They fell short against Czechia, losing 2-0, with Svitolina beaten in straight sets by Linda Noskova. But the week gave Stakhovsky a front-row view of the modern women’s game and a trial run with Svitolina in a high-pressure team environment.
Now the pair head into one of the most demanding stages on the calendar together, with Svitolina chasing a second WTA Finals crown.
A proven force at the year-end stage
If there is one arena where Svitolina has consistently punched above her weight, it’s the WTA Finals.
Her record there is ruthless: 10 wins, 3 losses. A 77% winning percentage, better than any other player in this year’s field.
Among the 2026 qualifiers, the numbers tell a clear story:
- [6] Elina Svitolina – 77% (2018 champion)
- [1] Elena Rybakina – 64% (2025 champion)
- [2] Aryna Sabalenka – 57% (2022, 2025 finalist)
- [4] Coco Gauff – 47% (2024 champion)
- [5] Jessica Pegula – 43% (2023 finalist)
- [3] Mirra Andreeva – making debut
- [7] Karolina Muchova – making debut
- [8] Linda Noskova – making debut
This hasn’t always looked inevitable. In her first appearance at the year-end championships in 2017, Svitolina stumbled out of the blocks, losing to Caroline Wozniacki and Caroline Garcia in the group stage before finally grabbing a win over Simona Halep.
The response a year later was emphatic. In 2018, she swept all five matches and lifted the biggest title of her career, cutting through the field with a mix of stubborn defence and fearless counterpunching. She very nearly backed it up in 2019, reaching the final again before Ashleigh Barty stopped her run.
Then came the long absence. Svitolina missed the WTA Finals from 2020 through 2025, a six-year gap that covers injury, personal milestones, and the turbulence of a career that refused to follow a neat, linear script.
Now she’s back.
New voice, old ambition
What Stakhovsky brings this week won’t be about overhauling technique or reinventing her game. He knows her. She knows him. They’ve shared courts in Ukraine, shared a bench at the Billie Jean King Cup, and share the context of representing a country playing under the weight of far more than rankings and seedings.
The dynamic will be different from the Bettles partnership that has anchored so much of her success, but Svitolina arrives with something no coach can manufacture: a proven record on this specific stage and a sense of unfinished business.
Her return begins on Monday, November 9, against Russia’s Mirra Andreeva, one of three debutants in the draw alongside Karolina Muchova and Linda Noskova. Three newcomers. One former champion with the best winning percentage of the lot.
The question in Indian Wells isn’t whether Elina Svitolina remembers how to win at the WTA Finals. It’s whether, with Sergiy Stakhovsky now in her corner, she can turn that memory into another title run.
