PARIS: Iga Swiatek has withdrawn injured from the Ningbo Open, where she had hoped to earn vital points towards qualifying for the year-end WTA Finals, tournament organisers announced on Tuesday.

The Polish player, ranked ninth in the race to the Finals ahead of this week’s 500-level event in China, is battling it out with seventh-placed Karolina Muchova and 10th-placed Marta Kostyuk for the eighth and final berth at the tournament.

This season’s Finals will take place at Indian Wells on Nov 8-15.

Czech Muchova is not competing this week, while Ukrainian Kostyuk is seeded third in Ningbo.

“After careful consideration, I’ve decided to withdraw from the tournament,” six-time Grand Slam winner Swiatek said in a statement released by the tournament.

“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 25-year-old was hampered by the same thigh issue during her defeat last week in the semi-finals in Wuhan against her compatriot Maja Chwalinska, who went on to win the title.

While Swiatek is unable to qualify directly for the WTA Finals she could go to the event as one of two alternates.

Swiatek is replaced in the draw in Ningbo by Russia’s Anastasia Zakharova.

Published in Dawn, October 21st, 2026