Iga Swiatek has ended her 2026 WTA season.
Poland’s Swiatek struggled physically in the Wuhan Open semi-finals against her countrywoman Maja Chwalinska. She was then expected to compete in the Ningbo Open, looking to keep her WTA Finals qualification hopes alive. However, she won’t play in Ningbo, having decided to end her season early.
“The past few months, or actually the past couple of years, have been incredibly intense, and I feel I need to rest and recover my body fully. So that’s exactly what I will do, a bit longer this time. I’ve decided to end my season here, which means I won’t be playing any more tournaments this year,” said Swiatek on Instagram.
It’s bad news for Swiatek’s fans, but great news for Marta Kostyuk and Karolina Muchova. They now have one less obstacle standing between them and a spot in the WTA Finals.
Karolina Muchova and Marta Kostyuk are now battling for the last WTA Finals place
Elena Rybakina, Aryna Sabalenka, Mirra Andreeva, Jessica Pegula, Coco Gauff, Elina Svitolina, and Linda Noskova have already qualified for the 2026 WTA Finals in Indian Wells. Following Swiatek’s announcement, Kostyuk and Muchova are the two players fighting for the last qualification spot.
Give us one bold prediction for the final months of the 2026 tennis season!
Muchova is in pole position, leading Kostyuk by 814 points, but will be wary of counting out her Ukrainian rival. Last year, Rybakina came from a long way back, excelling in Asia to snatch a WTA Finals spot at the expense of Andreeva when it seemed impossible. The Kazakhstani went on to win the WTA Finals, before enjoying the best year of her career in 2026.
Kostyuk still believes she can do the same and has given herself every chance of qualifying by entering this week’s Ningbo Open. While Muchova rests up, Kostyuk will compete for the title and crucial ranking points.
Live WTA Race
| Rank | Player | Country | Points | Status |
| 1 | Elena Rybakina | Kazakhstan | 7,503 | Qualified |
| 2 | Aryna Sabalenka | Belarus | 6,560 | Qualified |
| 3 | Mirra Andreeva | Russia | 6,306 | Qualified |
| 4 | Jessica Pegula | USA | 5,835 | Qualified |
| 5 | Coco Gauff | USA | 5,774 | Qualified |
| 6 | Elina Svitolina | Ukraine | 5,229 | Qualified |
| 7 | Karolina Muchova | Czechia | 4,735 | Qualifying |
| 8 | Linda Noskova | Czechia | 4,354 | Qualified (Grand Slam champion) |
| 9 | Iga Swiatek | Poland | 4,189 | Not qualifying (Ended season) |
| 10 | Marta Kostyuk | Ukraine | 3,921 | Not qualifying |
If the Ukrainian wins the title, she will trail Muchova by only 315 points. Kostyuk could then travel to Tokyo for the WTA 500 Pan Pacific Open, knowing a win would seal her place in the WTA Finals, provided Muchova doesn’t accept a late wild card into another event.
Kostyuk will need to win back-to-back titles to advance to the WTA Finals, which sounds difficult, but it’s something she’s done before. In fact, she did it earlier this year during the clay-court season. Kostyuk won the Open de Rouen and the Madrid Open back-to-back, before reaching the Roland Garros semis.
Can she do the same in Asia to qualify for the WTA Finals? Only time will tell. There’s no point worrying about Tokyo yet, though, as Kostyuk has work to do in Ningbo first.
Who else is playing at the Ningbo Open?
Kostyuk is the third seed at the Ningbo Open, behind Swiatek, who withdrew, and Rybakina, the world number one. Iva Jovic, Belinda Bencic, Diana Shnaider, Elise Mertens, and Sorana Cirstea round out the top eight seeds.
The good news for Kostyuk is that the seed in her section of the draw, Mertens, lost her opening match. Therefore, the Ukrainian won’t play a seed until the semi-finals at the earliest.
The bad news for Kostyuk is that her unseeded opponents will be tough to beat. She will begin her Ningbo Open campaign in the second round against Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova.
Alexandrova was a top-10 player earlier this year and has played 13 WTA Tour finals. Kostyuk trails their head-to-head 1-2, and will need to be at her very best to avoid an early exit in China.
If she advances to the quarter-finals, Kostyuk will play Leylah Fernandez or the qualifier Aliaksandra Sasnovich. Both players are tough to beat, although Kostyuk would surely fancy her chances of reaching the semis.
There, she could meet the eighth seed, Sorana Cirstea. The Romanian is set to retire at the end of the year, but continues to impress whenever she plays. Kostyuk won’t want to underestimate Cirstea should they face off in Ningbo.
Finally, Kostyuk could play the likes of Rybakina, Jovic, Bencic, or Shnaider in the championship match. She is capable of beating all those listed above, but doing so with the pressure of WTA Finals qualification hanging over her head is another question.
Then, should she emerge victorious in Ningbo, she will have to do it all over again in Tokyo next week. Kostyuk will resume her WTA Finals bid on Wednesday, October 21, when she plays Alexandrova in the second round of the Ningbo Open.
