Świątek withdraws from Ningbo as thigh injury disrupts Finals bid

Iga Świątek has withdrawn from the Ningbo Open with a left thigh injury, removing the second seed from the draw and complicating her bid for the remaining place at next month’s WTA Finals.

Tournament organisers announced the decision on Tuesday, 20 October. In a statement released through the event, Świątek said the problem had persisted for several weeks and that she had decided to prioritise rest and recovery instead of competing in Ningbo.

The world No 9 has been replaced in the draw by alternate Anastasia Zakharova. Świątek had been looking forward to playing at the Chinese tournament and said she hoped to return next year.

The six-time major champion had been troubled by the same injury during last week’s Wuhan Open semi-final. She lost that match to fellow Pole Maja Chwalińska, who went on to win the title.

Seven of the eight singles places at the WTA Finals have already been confirmed. Świątek is ninth in the standings, with seventh-placed Karolína Muchová and tenth-placed Marta Kostyuk also involved in the contest for the final berth.

Muchová is not competing this week, while Kostyuk is the third seed in Ningbo. Świątek had been due to face Marie Bouzková in Ningbo, where she and Kostyuk were drawn in the same half.

The WTA’s qualification preview, cited by the Associated Press, said Muchová would clinch the last spot if Świątek fell short of the Ningbo quarter-finals and Kostyuk did not reach the final. The season-ending tournament begins in Indian Wells on 8 November.

Sources

• Swiatek withdraws from Ningbo Open with thigh injury — WTA (2026-10-20)
• Świątek withdraws from Ningbo — AP (2026-10-20)
• WTA Finals qualification scenarios — WTA (2026-10-19)