Rybakina withdraws from WTA Finals, alternate Marta Kostyuk takes her place
The gist
World No. 1 Elena Rybakina withdrew from the WTA Finals, and alternate Marta Kostyuk replaced her.
Kostyuk, the Madrid champion, makes her Finals debut in a pool with Gauff.
How it unfolded
- Jul 8, 2026Kostyuk reached the Wimbledon semifinals for the first time in her career, and criticised the IOC's move to provisionally lift its ban on Russia.
- Jul 13, 2026She beat 2024 finalist Jasmine Paolini 6-3, 6-2 to reach her second straight Grand Slam semifinal, where she faced Linda Nosková.
- Sep 9, 2026As the No. 11 seed, Kostyuk beat 2017 champion and wild card Sloane Stephens 6-1, 7-5 in just under 90 minutes to reach Round 3 of the US Open.
Key terms
- WTA Finals
- The season-ending championship of the women's professional tennis tour, featuring the year's top singles players and doubles teams.
- alternate
- Coming into a game as a substitute rather than starting, from players who sit on the bench.
- round-robin
- A competition format in which each contestant meets every other participant, usually in turn.
Source: Wikipedia