Wuhan, Oct 4 (IANS) World No. 1 Elena Rybakina has withdrawn from the upcoming Dongfeng Voyah Wuhan Open due to injury, the tournament organisers announced, a day after the Kazakh was knocked out of the China Open by World No. 118 Alina Charaeva.
Rybakina, who was beaten by Charaeva in three sets in the second round in Beijing, was scheduled to return to action at the Wuhan Open, where she reached the quarterfinals last year. She is now expected to make her next appearance at the Ningbo 500, where she is the defending champion.
Apologising to fans who had been expecting to see her compete in Wuhan, Rybakina said she would take time away from competition to recover.
“I’m very sorry to the fans who were looking forward to seeing me play. I’ll take some time to rest and recover. Thank you for your understanding and continued support. See you next year,” Rybakina said in an Instagram story.
The 2025 US Open champion has been managing a lingering lower-leg and foot injury over the past few months. The issue forced her to retire during her Cincinnati quarterfinal against Iga Swiatek.
Rybakina then managed to recover in time to take part in the US Open, where she won her third Grand Slam title; during her campaign in New York she also became World No. 1 and the first singles player to qualify for the WTA Finals in Indian Wells.
She pulling out is adding to the increasing number of players who have failed to take part in the Wuhan Open, Amanda Anisimova, Madison Keys, Emma Navarro and Karolina Pliskova having also withdrawn before the tournament.
The Wuhan Open will take place from October 12 to 18 and will be the last event of the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz 1000 in the season.
Rybakina will now focus on the Ningbo 500 as she aims to keep in good fitness for the final part of the season.
–IANS
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