A viral illness ends the top seed's week
Elena Rybakina, ranked first in the world, will not compete at the 2026 FAGE WTA Finals in Indian Wells, California, after citing a viral illness. The withdrawal was announced ahead of the season-ending tournament, where she had arrived as the defending champion. Her place in the draw now belongs to Marta Kostyuk, who moves into Group 1.[S1][S2][S3][S4][S5][S6][S7][S8]
Kostyuk's schedule in Group 1 begins with Linda Noskova in the tournament's opening match on Sunday. She will also meet Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula later in round-robin play. The substitution keeps the group at full strength in numbers, though the player who topped the rankings for much of the year is no longer part of it.[S1]
A season of four titles and the No. 1 ranking
Rybakina closes her 2026 campaign on the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz with a 54-14 record and four trophies: the Australian Open, Stuttgart, the US Open and Ningbo. Her third Grand Slam title came at the US Open, where she also claimed the No. 1 ranking. She had been the first singles qualifier for the year-end event.[S1]
Despite missing Indian Wells, Rybakina has already secured the WTA year-end No. 1 singles ranking presented by PIF, which she earned while competing in Tokyo. A year ago she won the WTA Finals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, going unbeaten as the last player to qualify. She said she intends to rest and recover at home before preparing for the 2027 season.[S1]
