Muchova Secures Final WTA Finals Place After Kostyuk Retires

Karolina Muchova secured the final singles place at the 2026 WTA Finals after Marta Kostyuk retired from their qualification race at the Ningbo Open with a recurring wrist injury. Kostyuk withdrew from her second-round match against Ekaterina Alexandrova after losing the first set 6-4. Her retirement ended her chance to overtake Muchova for the eighth and final place in the season-ending championship. The WTA Tour said Kostyuk needed to reach the Ningbo final to prevent Muchova from clinching the spot. Kostyuk said on Instagram that the pain in her wrist had returned and she needed to give it more time to recover. She added that she hoped to return to court soon. Her recovery timetable has not been established publicly in the reports, and one account said she could be considered as an alternate if a qualified player withdraws. Muchova joins Elena Rybakina, Aryna Sabalenka, Mirra Andreeva, Jessica Pegula, Coco Gauff, Elina Svitolina and Linda Noskova in the singles field. It will be Muchova’s first appearance at the Finals: she qualified in 2023 but withdrew because of injury. This season, she reached the Wimbledon final and won titles in Qatar and Bad Homburg, according to one...