WARSAW : Iga Swiatek ended her season on Tuesday after withdrawing from the Ningbo Open with a persistent thigh injury, a decision that also dashed the six-time Grand Slam champion’s hopes of qualifying for the WTA Finals.
The 25-year-old Pole, who described the campaign as the most demanding of her career, will finish the year without a Grand Slam title. Her last major triumph came at Wimbledon last year.
Swiatek, who has competed at every edition of the WTA Finals since 2021 and won the season-ending championship in 2023, needed to reach at least the quarter-finals in Ningbo to retain a chance of displacing Czech Karolina Muchova from the final qualifying spot.
“After careful consideration, I’ve decided to withdraw from the tournament,” Swiatek said in a statement posted on the Ningbo Open’s social media.
“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 injury also hampered Swiatek during her 7-5 6-1 semi-final defeat by compatriot Maja Chwalinska at last week’s Wuhan Open.
Swiatek finishes the season with a 39-15 win-loss record and one title, at the Canadian Open. She also failed to reach the semi-finals at any of the four Grand Slam tournaments this year.
