World No. 1 Elena Rybakina has withdrawn from the Dongfeng Voyah Wuhan Open, removing the newly crowned US Open champion from the season’s last WTA 1000 draw as she continues to manage a lower-leg and foot problem.
Key takeaways
- Rybakina will not play the Wuhan Open, scheduled for October 12-18.
- The Kazakh star was beaten in the second round of the China Open by World No. 118 Alina Charaeva.
- She retired against Iga Swiatek in the Cincinnati quarterfinals because of the same injury concern.
- Rybakina is provisionally due to return at the Ningbo 500, where she arrives as defending champion.
- Amanda Anisimova, Madison Keys, Emma Navarro and Karolina Pliskova have also withdrawn before Wuhan begins.
Top seed exits the Wuhan field
Rybakina’s absence is a significant change to the Wuhan draw. She reached the quarterfinal stage there last season and would have arrived as the No. 1 player in the world after a landmark North American hard-court swing.
In a message to supporters, Rybakina apologised to those hoping to see her compete in Wuhan and said she would step back to recover. “I’m very sorry to the fans who were looking forward to seeing me play,” she said. “I’ll take some time to rest and recover. Thank you for your understanding and continued support. See you next year.”
The injury has persisted through recent months. It forced Rybakina to stop her Cincinnati quarterfinal against Swiatek, although she recovered sufficiently to contest the US Open. In New York, she claimed her third major singles trophy, moved to the top of the rankings and secured the first singles qualification place for the WTA Finals in Indian Wells.
Beijing defeat precedes withdrawal
The decision follows a surprise result at the China Open in Beijing, where Charaeva, ranked No. 118, defeated Rybakina in three sets in the second round. The loss ended Rybakina’s Beijing campaign before the latter stages and preceded the confirmation that she would skip Wuhan.
Her next listed event is the Ningbo 500, where she will seek to defend the title she won a year ago. Whether she takes the court there will depend on the progress of her recovery.
Wuhan is the final WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz 1000 tournament of the season. Alongside Rybakina, the pre-event withdrawals of Anisimova, Keys, Navarro and Pliskova have already altered the field before main-draw play begins.
