--- title: "Marta Kostyuk to Play WTA Finals for the First Time in Career in 2026: Ukrainian Replaces Withdrawn Elena Rybakina" description: "Marta Kostyuk will play at the 2026 WTA Finals for the first time in her career, replacing world No. 1 Elena Rybakina, who withdrew due to health issues. Her first match is on November 8 against Linda Noskova." date: 2026-11-07T20:58:34.035Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/marta-kostyuk-debut-wta-finals-2026-rybakina tags: [tennis, wta-finals, marta-kostyuk, elina-svitolina, elena-rybakina, ukraine] author: "Dmitriy Shatolov" publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Marta Kostyuk to Play WTA Finals for the First Time in Career in 2026: Ukrainian Replaces Withdrawn Elena Rybakina ![Ukrainian tennis player Marta Kostyuk celebrates a victory during a WTA Finals match](https://xab.info/media/2026/11/07/marta-kostyuk-debyut-itogoviy-turnir-wta-2026-rybakina/marta-kostyuk-debyut-itogoviy-turnir-wta-2026-rybakina-1.webp) ## Key Points - Marta Kostyuk will make her debut in the main draw of the 2026 WTA Finals, replacing Elena Rybakina. - Rybakina withdrew due to health issues and the need to recover before the new season. - Kostyuk was placed in Group 1 alongside Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, and Linda Noskova; her first match is on November 8 against Noskova. - Two Ukrainian players, Kostyuk and Elina Svitolina, will compete in the tournament's singles draw. Ukrainian tennis player **Marta Kostyuk** will make her debut in the main draw of the 2026 WTA Finals in Indian Wells, USA. According to [Sport RBC.UA](https://sport.rbc.ua/ukr/tennis/kostyuk-nespodivano-potrapila-pidsumkoviy-1794084774.html), citing the official WTA website, she will replace world No. 1 **Elena Rybakina**, who withdrew from the competition due to health issues. Thus, there will be two Ukrainian representatives in the WTA Finals singles draw simultaneously — Kostyuk and Elina Svitolina, who qualified earlier. ### Path to the Main Draw: From Alternate to Top Eight Spot Kostyuk's entry into the main draw came as a result of a chain of events. Based on the qualifying rankings, the Ukrainian failed to make the initial top eight and arrived in Indian Wells as an alternate, retaining a chance to compete only if one of the entered players withdrew. Earlier, in late October, she had already lost direct qualification chances in the rankings after poor performances at the tournament in Ningbo, as reported by Ukrainian and Russian sports media. However, her reserve status and Rybakina's subsequent withdrawal paved her way into the main draw. ### Why Rybakina Withdrew The Kazakhstani tennis player, who was set to defend her WTA Finals title, explained her decision by her physical condition and the need to recover before the next season. Following the official confirmation of her withdrawal, the spot in the main draw automatically went to the first alternate, Marta Kostyuk, for whom this is her career-first appearance at the Women's Tennis Association season finale. ### Opponents and Schedule Kostyuk has been placed in Group 1, where her opponents are Americans **Coco Gauff** and **Jessica Pegula**, as well as Czech tennis player **Linda Noskova**. The Ukrainian will play her first match on Sunday, November 8, specifically against Noskova. The group stage will run until November 13: each participant will play three matches, and the top two players from the quartet will advance to the semifinals. The semifinal matches are scheduled for November 14, and the final is on November 15. ### Two Ukrainians in the Singles Draw Thanks to Kostyuk's entry, Ukraine will have two representatives in the singles draw of the WTA Finals. Earlier, **Elina Svitolina** secured her participation in the tournament, making this her fourth appearance at the WTA Finals; she won the tournament in 2018. The simultaneous presence of two Ukrainian tennis players in the main draw of the season finale is a notable event for the national team. ### The 2026 Season as a Foundation for Debut Kostyuk's debut at the season finale comes during one of the most successful stages of her career. In 2026, the Ukrainian won titles in Rouen and Madrid, and also reached the semifinals of Grand Slam tournaments twice. These exact results allowed her to anchor herself in the elite of world tennis and ultimately earn the chance to play among the top eight of the season. Now she faces the challenge of advancing from a group featuring two top American players and a Czech representative. ## Fact-Check & Sources - [Костюк неожиданно попала на Итоговый турнир WTA: украинка заменит первую ракетку мира](https://sport.rbc.ua/ukr/tennis/kostyuk-nespodivano-potrapila-pidsumkoviy-1794084774.html) - Primary source: Rybakina's replacement, group composition, schedule, Svitolina's status, and Kostyuk's achievements in 2026. - [Украинскую теннисистку после отказа играть с россиянкой не взяли на Итоговый турнир WTA. Названы ...](https://www.obozrevatel.com/section-sport-oboz/news-ukrayinsku-tenisystku-pislya-vidmovy-hraty-z-rosiyankoyu-ne-vzyaly-na-pidsumkovyy-turnir-nazvano-vsikh-uchasnyts-21-10-2026.html) - Context of the earlier qualification stage (21.10.2026): Kostyuk did not enter the top eight by rankings — consistent with her alternate status in the original text. - [Россиянка лишила украинку шансов отобраться на главный турнир WTA](https://www.rbc.ru/sport/21/10/2026/6ad8c8bd9a79471f237a2a7c) - Confirms the loss of direct qualification chances by ranking during the selection stage. - [Марта Костюк снялась с турнира в Нинбо из-за травмы и потеряла шансы на Итоговый турнир WTA](https://www.ua-football.com/sport/tennis/1792592805-marta-kostyuk-snyalas-s-turnira-v-ninbo-iz-za-travmy-i-poteryala-shansy-na-itogovyy-turnir-wta.html) - Describes withdrawal from the Ningbo tournament and loss of ranking chances; does not contradict subsequent entry into the draw as a replacement. ## FAQ ### Why did Marta Kostyuk end up at the 2026 WTA Finals? She arrived in Indian Wells as an alternate, having missed the top eight in the qualifying rankings. After world No. 1 Elena Rybakina withdrew due to health issues, the main draw spot passed to Kostyuk. ### Who are Kostyuk's opponents in the group and when is her first match? In Group 1, her opponents are Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, and Linda Noskova. Her first match is on Sunday, November 8, against Noskova. ### How many Ukrainian tennis players will play in the tournament? Two — Marta Kostyuk and Elina Svitolina, for whom this is her fourth WTA Finals appearance (she won the tournament in 2018). ### What was Kostyuk's 2026 season like? She won titles in Rouen and Madrid and twice reached the semifinals of Grand Slam tournaments.