Upon entering the Pan Pacific Open last week, Maja Chwalinska instantly became one of the tournament favourites.
The Polish player, who recently won her first WTA Tour title in Wuhan, entered the WTA 500 event as the second seed shortly after withdrawing from the Ningbo Open.
Unfortunately for Chwalinska and her fans, she has been forced to withdraw from the Tokyo-based event due to injury.
Chwalinska explained the reason behind her absence in a social media post on Monday.
Maja Chwalinska expresses disappointment after Pan Pacific Open withdrawal
“I am very disappointed to have to withdraw from the Tokyo tournament due to a left thigh injury sustained in Wuhan,” Chwalinska, who was the second seed in Japan, said in an Instagram post on Monday morning.
“I travelled to Tokyo early for physiotherapy and on-court practice, doing everything possible to recover in time, but unfortunately, I am still not ready to compete.
“I am very much looking forward to playing in Tokyo someday and am grateful for everyone’s support and understanding.”
It remains to be seen whether Chwalinska will be able to compete in any more WTA Tour events before the season’s conclusion next month.
The Polish star is not on the entry list for the Chennai Open or Hong Kong Open, both of which will take place from November 2 to 8.
Chwalinska has also not qualified for the WTA Finals, which will run from November 8 to 15.
WTA Tour calendar for the rest of 2026
- Pan Pacific Open WTA 500: October 26 to November 1
- Guangzhou Open WTA 250: October 26 to November 1
- Chennai Open WTA 250: November 2 to 8
- Hong Kong Open WTA 250: November 2 to 8
- WTA Finals: November 8 to 15
Who has replaced Maja Chwalinska in the Pan Pacific Open draw?
Kimberly Birrell has benefitted from Chwalinska’s Pan Pacific Open withdrawal.
The young Australian, a lucky loser, has replaced Chwalinska in the draw and has received an automatic bye through to the second round.
There, she will face American Alycia Parks, who advanced past Xinyu Wang on Monday following a 6-1, 7-6 victory.
The winner of Birrell and Parks will face one of Naomi Osaka, Jasmine Paolini, Tereza Valentova or Mia Pohankova in the Pan Pacific Open quarter-finals.
As for Chwalinska, the Polish player will not lose any WTA ranking points following her withdrawal from the Japanese event.
This is because she did not compete in the 2025 edition of the tournament.