Jelena Rybakina withdraws from WTA Finals at Indian Wells, Marta Kostiuk replaces her

In brief

• Jelena Rybakina has withdrawn from the WTA Finals in Indian Wells shortly before the event opens on 8 November.
• She was scheduled to face Linda Noskova and cited her body not being ready for more matches after a strong season.
• Ukraine's Marta Kostiuk replaces her in the eight-player field, making her WTA Finals debut.

Rybakina pulls out at the last moment

Jelena Rybakina, the Kazakh player who leads the WTA rankings, has withdrawn from the WTA Finals, which open on Sunday, 8 November, in Indian Wells (Sensacyjna zmiana przed WTA Finals! Jelena Rybakina podjęła decyzję w ostatniej chwili – supersport.se.pl) (Oficjalnie: Rybakina wycofała się z WTA Finals! Wiadomo, kto ją zastąpi – sport.pl). She was due to open her campaign against Czech player Linda Noskova (Alarm ws. Rybakiny tuż przed WTA Finals! – Sport.pl). Her decision came on Saturday, shortly before competition began.

Signs that her health was not right had surfaced earlier. Rybakina skipped scheduled media commitments, and then confirmed officially that she would not be able to take part (Jelena Rybakina wycofuje się z WTA Finals. Wiadomo, kto ją zastąpi – Przegląd Sportowy).

Health cited as reason

In a statement released through the WTA, Rybakina said she was forced to withdraw and that her body was not ready for another run of matches, even though the season had been exceptionally successful for her. She has won two Grand Slam titles this year.

Kostiuk to make debut

Ukraine's Marta Kostiuk will replace Rybakina in the eight-player event. For Kostiuk, it will be her first appearance at the WTA Finals.