Iga Swiatek is set to miss out on automatic qualification for the WTA Finals, having been forced to withdraw from the Ningbo Open with a thigh injury.

Swiatek needed to make the quarter-finals of the WTA 500 event in China to have any chance of overhauling Karolina Muchova for the final qualification place for the WTA Finals at Indian Wells.

The former world number one, who lost 7-5 6-1 to fellow Polish player Maja Chwalinska in the Wuhan Open semi-finals last week, had been due to face Marie Bouzkova in the round of 16 at the Ningbo Open on Wednesday.

But after pulling out, Swiatek's only hope of featuring at the year-end tournament is as an alternate, should one of the automatic qualifiers withdraw during the round-robin stage.

"After careful consideration, I've decided to withdraw from the tournament," Swiatek said in a statement released by the Ningbo Open's organisers.

"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. 

"I was really looking forward to competing here, and I want to thank the tournament organisers and everyone who was hoping to see me play.

"I'm already looking forward to coming back next year!"

Get well soon, Iga.  “After careful consideration, I’ve decided to withdraw from 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…” https://t.co/x6xZJmEE36

— Ningbo Open (@wtaningboopen) October 20, 2026

With Muchova not competing in Ningbo, Swiatek's withdrawal aids Marta Kostyuk's chance of qualifying for the WTA Finals, as she could leapfrog the Czech into the eighth spot.

Swiatek has endured a disappointing year overall, with her best grand slam performance being a run to the quarter-finals of the Australian Open.

She had competed at five straight editions of the WTA Finals starting in 2021, winning the tournament in 2023 with a resounding 6-1 6-0 final victory over Jessica Pegula.