Karolina Muchova’s wait for maiden WTA Finals continues as she is forced to withdraw from the 2023 event, Maria Sakkari to replace her

Karolina Muchova withdraws from the WTA Finals 2023 losing out on maiden qualification and will be replaced by Greece's Maria Sakkari.

Karolina Muchova’s wait for maiden WTA Finals continues as she is forced to withdraw from the 2023 event, Maria Sakkari to replace her

Karolina Muchova (Image via Tennis World USA)

Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) World No. 8 Karolina Muchova was forced to withdraw from the WTA Finals at Cancun. The player from the Czech Republic took to Instagram to announce her withdrawal from the tournament on account of a prolonged struggle with a wrist injury. Greece’s Maria Sakkari will be taking her place in the tournament.

The 27-year-old has been on a roll for the past few months. She made the finals of the French Open 2023, where she lost to then-World No. 1 Iga Swiatek. Her next prominent campaign was at the Cincinnati Masters, where she once again reached the final. 

However, disappointment was on the horizon once again, for she lost to American Coco Gauff in straight sets. Bar her semi-final loss at the US Open 2023 to Gauff, who went on to win the title, she has not seen much success at the Grand Slam platform. 

However, her incredible campaigns at the Roland Garros and Cincinnati secured her a spot at the season-closing final at Cancun. This was her maiden qualification to one of the most prestigious events on the Tour. Unfortunately, the tennis professional was not able to follow through on her qualifications. She took to Instagram to announce her withdrawal from the event. 

I am heartbroken to announce that I will miss my first WTA Finals in Cancun. Together with the team and doctors we tried everything till the last moments to resolve my wrist injury.
Karolina Muchova wrote on Instagram

The 27-year-old revealed that the time she needed to recover from the injury proved to be a lot more than the time she had for the event. However, she was hopeful that she would be able to qualify for the event next year. 

Maria Sakkari to play in the WTA Finals once again

Following the unfortunate news for Karolina Muchova, Maria Sakkari gets the better end of the stick. Ranked No. 8 in the world, she was next in line for the position. With Muchova’s withdrawal, Sakkari will play in the event.

Maria Sakkari 1
Maria Sakkari (Image via The Independant)

However, this is not the Greek’s first endeavor as the season draws closer. With a career-high ranking of World No. 3, this will be her third stint at the tournament. With a rank of 8th in the world, she narrowly missed out on the chance to qualify a third time. However, Muchova’s bad news has given the Greek a chance to fight another day.

Sakkari’s greatest achievement this season has been her title-winning campaign at the Guadalajara Open 2023. She has also made it to the semi-finals at the Indian Wells Open and the Madrid Open. However, she has not seen great success at Grand Slam titles. Sakkari will hope to play her best game this year and hope for a better finish.

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