First WTA Finals withdrawal: US Open injury leads to first Indian Wells absence

With just over five weeks to go before the start of the 2026 WTA Finals in Indian Wells, we already have a major withdrawal from the field. Only a handful of players have secured their qualification so far: Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina will lead the singles draw, while three doubles teams have already qualified for the WTA Finals.

The latest team to join them was Aleksandra Krunic and Anhelina Danilina, who were runners-up at both the Australian Open and Roland Garros this season, in addition to winning the WTA 1000 Qatar Ladies Open at the start of the year. Serbian player Krunic recently suffered a knee injury that has forced her to end her season.

The Krunic-Danilina team arrived at the US Open as the third seeds, but they were forced to retire during their second-round match against Tatjana Maria and Zeynep Sonmez because of Krunic's injury. They had not returned to the court since, but the WTA recently confirmed that Krunic will have to withdraw from the season-ending tournament.

Doubles World No.4 Krunic was set to make her WTA Finals debut, while her partner Danilina, ranked No.6, was looking for her second appearance after qualifying in 2022 alongside Beatriz Haddad Maia.

Only three teams have already qualified for the doubles draw: World No.1 Katerina Siniakova and No.2 Taylor Townsend, the Roland Garros and US Open champions, and recent Wimbledon runners-up Gabriela Dabrowski and Luisa Stefani, who have won three titles together this season.

In the Race, Krunic and Danilina recently moved into the qualifying positions for Indian Wells. Their US Open run was enough to secure their qualification, but Krunic's withdrawal now opens up a spot among the top teams heading to Indian Wells.

Among the teams closest to qualifying are Shuai Zhang and Elise Mertens, the Australian Open champions, and Kristina Mladenovic and Hanyu Guo, the recent Wimbledon champions.

Meanwhile, the singles race for a place at the WTA Finals remains wide open, with only two players qualified so far. The Asian swing begins with several players already having one foot in Indian Wells. Grand Slam champions Mirra Andreeva and Linda Noskova are the ones best positioned to benefit, as they have special access to the draw if they finish the season inside the Top 20.

According to the WTA rules, the seven highest-ranked players in the Race qualify, along with the highest-ranked Grand Slam champion positioned outside the top seven, provided she finishes inside the Top 20 of the Race. In simple terms, if a major champion does not finish among the top eight, she only needs to remain inside the Top 20 to qualify for the WTA Finals. In fact, with 2,000 points from that major title alone, just a few additional points are enough to finish in that position.

Andreeva is fourth in the Race, around 200 points away from mathematically securing a place among the Top 8. As a Grand Slam champion, however, she could also qualify through the special Grand Slam spot if she finishes outside the automatic qualifying positions but inside the Top 20. The same rule applies to Noskova, who is currently eighth in the Race.

Only one Grand Slam champion can claim that additional spot, but with both Andreeva and Noskova comfortably inside the Top 20, they are in a strong position to secure a place in Indian Wells. Neither is officially qualified yet, but their current positions mean they have little reason to worry.

Jessica Pegula is also close to securing her place, sitting around 90 points from mathematical qualification, while Gauff is roughly 250 points away. Both essentially need a couple of wins to secure their WTA Finals places early, although they could also qualify without competing — as is the case with Pegula this week at the China Open — if results elsewhere go their way.

Further back are Elina Svitolina and Karolina Muchova, two players who remain close but cannot afford to relax, with Iga Swiatek and Marta Kostyuk waiting behind them. Two WTA 1000 events and several WTA 500 titles remain for those still fighting until the final weeks. Swiatek and Kostyuk have the strongest chances among the chasing players, but they will likely need at least one big title to move into contention.