Iga Swiatek has withdrawn from the Ningbo Open with a thigh injury, tournament organisers announced on Tuesday. The Polish player had hoped to earn vital points towards qualifying for the year-end WTA Finals.
Ranked ninth in the race to the Finals, Swiatek was competing with seventh-placed Karolina Muchova and 10th-placed Marta Kostyuk for the eighth and final berth. The Finals will be held at Indian Wells from November 8 to 15.
Swiatek cites ongoing thigh problem in statement
In a statement released by the tournament, six-time Grand Slam winner Swiatek said she had decided to withdraw after careful consideration. She explained that she had experienced an ongoing problem with her left thigh over recent weeks, and that rest and recovery was the right choice.
The 25-year-old was also hampered by the same thigh issue in her semi-final defeat in Wuhan last week to compatriot Maja Chwalinska, who went on to win the title. Swiatek has been replaced in the Ningbo draw by Russia’s Anastasia Zakharova.
