TOKYO — World No 6 Elina Svitolina has withdrawn from next week's Pan Pacific Open, her second WTA 500 withdrawal in a matter of weeks following her shock separation from husband Gael Monfils. The Ukrainian, who was last in action in a quarter-final defeat to Sonay Kartal at the WTA 1000 Wuhan Open on Friday, had already pulled out of this week's Ningbo Open and has now been removed from the player list for the Tokyo event, which runs from 26 October to 1 November, with no replacement yet confirmed.
Three days after her exit in Wuhan, Svitolina announced that her marriage to Monfils is ending, revealing that Russia's invasion of Ukraine has taken its toll. “With time, I came to understand that I need to find my way back to myself and that I cannot do that within our marriage,” she wrote. Both Svitolina and Monfils have kept a low profile since the announcement and have not appeared in public.
The withdrawal casts doubt over Svitolina's participation at the WTA Finals, which gets underway on 9 November in Indian Wells in the United States and is the final event on her 2026 calendar. She qualified for the season-ending tournament for the first time since 2019 after her run to the quarter-finals in Wuhan, having won the title in 2018 against Sloane Stephens and finished runner-up to Ashleigh Barty the following year. She is due to make her fourth appearance alongside Elena Rybakina, Aryna Sabalenka, Mirra Andreeva, Jessica Pegula, Coco Gauff and Linda Noskova, with one place still up for grabs.
Monfils, meanwhile, retired earlier this month, with the International Tennis Integrity Agency confirming his name was added to the retired players' list on 5 October. The 40-year-old could yet feature at the Paris Masters after organisers said they have not completely shut the door on an appearance, while he is also set to play in Stan Wawrinka's farewell event in Switzerland. Her absence adds to a depleted field in Tokyo following Four Top-10 Stars Withdraw From WTA Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo.