Updated 10 November 2026. This page is updated as the field changes, through to the final on Sunday, 15 November.
No singles qualifier has withdrawn from the FAGE WTA Finals, which run from 8 to 15 November at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. The WTA still lists all eight who qualified, and the defending champion is on the schedule for the opening match, against Linda Noskova at noon on Sunday, 8 November. World No. 1 Elena Rybakina pulled out of the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo on 30 October with inflammation and pain in her neck, nine days before the Finals begin.
Update, 7 November: Rybakina withdrew from the WTA Finals on Saturday, the day before the event began, citing a viral illness. “I’ve had an incredible season but my body is just not physically ready to compete,” she said. Marta Kostyuk, the first alternate, takes her place in Group 1, opening against Noskova on Sunday before matches against Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula.
Withdrawals tracker. Every singles player who pulls out of the WTA Finals, before the event or during it, and the alternate who replaces her, updated daily until the final.
WTA Finals withdrawals
The field.
- Elena Rybakina (Kazakhstan). World No. 1 and defending champion. She won the Australian Open and the US Open this year and secured the year-end No. 1 ranking in Tokyo before her withdrawal there. She withdrew on 7 November, the day before the event, citing a viral illness.
- Aryna Sabalenka. Indian Wells and Miami champion this year, runner-up at the Finals in 2022 and 2025, and making her sixth straight appearance.
- Mirra Andreeva. Roland Garros champion.
- Linda Noskova (Czech Republic). Wimbledon champion.
- Coco Gauff (United States). Champion in 2024.
- Jessica Pegula (United States). Runner-up in 2023.
- Elina Svitolina (Ukraine). Champion in 2018.
- Karolina Muchova (Czech Republic). She took the last place in Ningbo. She qualified once before, in 2023, but withdrew injured without playing a match.
Rybakina’s neck. Rybakina was due to play Leylah Fernandez in the Tokyo quarterfinals and gave her a walkover. “Unfortunately, I’ve been experiencing inflammation and pain in my neck, which has been affecting my ability to play at my best,” she said in a statement. “It’s a very difficult decision, as I love playing here and always appreciate the incredible support from the fans.” The statement did not mention the WTA Finals, and the WTA had not listed her as a withdrawal by 31 October.
The alternates. The WTA names two alternates, the players who finish just behind the eight qualifiers. They travel to the event and play only if a qualifier withdraws, and an alternate who comes in during the round robin takes over the withdrawn player’s remaining group matches. The rules are set out in WTA Finals alternates explained. The 2026 singles alternates are Marta Kostyuk and Diana Shnaider. Iga Swiatek, ninth in the Race, is not one of them: she ended her season on 20 October with a left thigh injury.
Doubles. One team has already pulled out. Anna Danilina and Aleksandra Krunic qualified in September but withdrew on 1 October after Krunic injured her knee at the US Open. The eight-team field was completed on 31 October, when Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini took the last place. They join Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, Gabriela Dabrowski and Luisa Stefani, Guo Hanyu and Kristina Mladenovic, Cristina Bucsa and Nicole Melichar-Martinez, Hsieh Su-Wei and Jelena Ostapenko, Ellen Perez and Demi Schuurs, and Elise Mertens and Zhang Shuai. Olivia Nicholls and Tereza Mihalikova are the on-site doubles alternates. The tracker above covers singles only.
The groups. The draw was made on Tuesday, 3 November. Group 1 is Gauff, Pegula, Noskova and Marta Kostyuk, who replaced Rybakina on 7 November, playing on 8, 10 and 12 November. Group 2 is Sabalenka, Andreeva, Svitolina and Muchova, playing on 9, 11 and 13 November. The top two in each group reach the semifinals on Saturday, 14 November. A withdrawal now is covered by the first alternate, who takes over the withdrawn player’s remaining group matches. The points at stake also decide the year-end rankings below No. 1. Dates, format, prize money and every champion since 2014 are in our WTA Finals guide, and how the eight places were decided is in WTA Finals qualification explained.
