Świątek pulls out of Ningbo with thigh injury, misses WTA Finals cut

Iga Świątek has withdrawn from the Ningbo Open with a left thigh injury, a decision that ends her hopes of qualifying directly for the WTA Finals. The six-time Grand Slam champion had been due to open her campaign against Marie Bouzková, who now advances without hitting a ball.

"After careful consideration, I've decided to withdraw from the tournament," Świątek said in her statement. "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."

The injury that surfaced in Wuhan

The problem became visible during last weekend's semi-final at the Wuhan Open, where Świątek lost to her compatriot Maja Chwalińska. The Pole took a medical timeout, played on with her thigh strapped and was visibly limited in her movement, but chose not to retire. Chwalińska went on to win the title the following day.

Spanish outlet Punto de Break describes the issue as a muscle problem in the left quadriceps and reports that Świątek's 2026 season is now over, with a record of 39 wins and 15 losses and a single title, in Canada. Świątek herself did not explicitly rule out further tournaments in her statement.

Why Ningbo was her last chance

Going into the week, the race for the eighth and final place at the WTA Finals had come down to three players. According to Punto de Break, Karolína Muchová held the spot with 4,735 points, ahead of Świątek on 4,189 and Marta Kostyuk on 3,920. Muchová is not playing in Ningbo and is not entered in Tokyo, so her total is frozen.

That left Świątek needing a title at one of the two remaining events plus a deep run at the other. Without points from Ningbo, the 546-point gap can no longer be closed, even with a title at the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo.

The only threat left to Muchová is Kostyuk, who is in the Ningbo draw. The Ukrainian, 815 points adrift, would need to win one of the two tournaments and reach the final of the other to overtake the Czech.

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A first absence since 2020

The withdrawal brings an end to a remarkable run. Świątek has been part of every WTA Finals since 2021 and won the title in 2022 and 2023. According to Reuters, she misses the event for the first time since 2020, although she could still travel as one of the two alternates.

The WTA Finals take place from 8 to 15 November in Indian Wells, California. It caps a difficult year for the 25-year-old, who has not been able to recapture the dominance of her best seasons. Her work with coach Francis Roig produced a promising spell during her title run in Canada, but Punto de Break reports that questions are being asked in Poland about how quickly the new approach is taking hold.

For Bouzková, the walkover puts her into the quarter-finals in Ningbo. For Kostyuk, the week is now an all-or-nothing chase: anything short of the title in Ningbo leaves Muchová needing only to wait for the final qualifying spot to become official.