Iga Swiatek withdraws from Ningbo Open as WTA Finals hopes all but over

Tuesday, 20 October 2026 at 11:30

Iga Swiatek as has been expected but has now been confirmed will not play at the Ningbo Open due to injury and now her WTA Finals hopes are all but over.

The six-time Grand Slam winner struggled through against Maja Chwalinska and infamously ignored calls from her physio to retire from the match saying afterwards that she wanted to give Chwalinska the win fair and square.

She went on to lose in straight sets, but this has now had a knock-on effect as it has nearly ended her hopes of qualifying for Indian Wells - the season closer.

The injury has proven to be the straw that broke the camels back in her hopes to qualify. Following her defeat in the last four in Wuhan, Swiatek found herself to be 545 points behind Karolina Muchova, who is in the final spot for the WTA Finals.

How Swiatek can find a way in

With two events to go in the Ningbo Open and Pan Pacific Open, there are not enough points up for grabs to make up that 545 points especially with Muchova not scheduled to play in either. Her chances of qualifying are now over even if she went to play next week, she would still be 45 points behind Muchova.

She will be one of the alternates though alongside Marta Kostyuk who is currently 10th in the race and could overtake Muchova if she wins both events. But it remains to be seen whether Swiatek will see the money on offer and travel even at 50% fit or whether she will decide to just end her season.

“After careful consideration, I’ve decided to withdraw from the tournament,” she explained. “I’ve been experiencing an ongoing problem with my left thigh over the past weeks and I feel that giving myself the time to rest and recover is the right decision.”

It is the first time since 2019 that Swiatek has failed to qualify for the season-ending tournament showcasing a real changing of the guard when it comes to her and her career trajectory.

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The former World No.1 won the WTA Finals in 2023 beating Jessica Pegula 6-1, 6-0 in the final, but has struggled in recent years failing to get out the groups in the last two. She is currently eighth in the overall WTA Rankings and she will finish in the top 10. But with Maja Chwalinska currently on the rise, she could yet be Poland's number two in the latest fall from grace.

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