Karolína Muchová withdrew from her final group-stage match at the WTA Finals in Indian Wells on Thursday, November 13, 2026, due to digestive issues, as reported by Sport.cz.
Second alternate Diana Shnaider stepped in to replace her against Mirra Andreeva, according to iROZHLAS. For 22-year-old Shnaider, this marked her first career appearance in the singles draw at the tournament for the season’s top eight players.
Muchová arrived at the elite eight-woman tournament after climbing to a career-high sixth in the world rankings. She captured two singles titles and reached the Wimbledon final during a demanding campaign.
Karolina Muchova is forced to pull out from her last WTA Finals match against Mirra Andreeva due to illness. Mirra will now face her doubles partner and second alternate, Diana Shnaider. pic.twitter.com/km51XSuENH
Physical fatigue slowed her build-up to the desert event. “Experience has taught me to know my body and know when I can no longer go on,” Muchová said before the tournament began, as cited by Livesport. “It’s good to push your own limits, but overdoing it can be counterproductive. Health has always been fundamental for my career.”
In her opening group matches, the Olomouc native fell 6–7, 5–7 to Aryna Sabalenka and dropped a 6–3, 2–6, 2–6 decision to Elina Svitolina. Those defeats marked her first losses of the year after winning the opening set.
With two losses already recorded, Muchová could no longer advance from the round-robin stage. She confirmed her withdrawal in an official statement released through the WTA tour.
“Unfortunately, I have to withdraw from today’s match due to digestive issues,” Muchová said in a statement published by Blesk. “That’s not how I wanted to end the season, but there is a lot to be proud of, and I’m already looking forward to next year.”
Shnaider took Muchová’s place in the lineup as the tournament’s second alternate.
Mirra Andreeva secured the top spot in the group before facing the replacement player. The 19-year-old defeated Shnaider 6–2, 6–1 in under an hour, rallying after dropping the first two games to claim six consecutive games in both sets and converting her first match point on her opponent’s serve.
Andreeva became the youngest WTA Finals semifinalist since 2009 and the fifth teenager overall to achieve the feat under the current format introduced in 2003. The reigning Roland Garros champion entered the match holding the world number three ranking and having won 12 of her last 15 matches. She reached the last four alongside Linda Nosková, who won her respective group.
Nosková advanced to face Svitolina in the semifinals, while Andreeva prepared to meet American player Jessica Pegula, according to Sport.cz. Tournament officials confirmed the revised schedule following Muchová’s withdrawal. In the other group match, Sabalenka defeated Svitolina 3–6, 6–3, 1–6.
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