World number one female tennis player and defending champion Iga Swiatek withdrew from the 2024 China Open in Beijing for personal reasons.
“Due to personal problems, I was forced to withdraw from the China Open in Beijing. I am very sorry because I had fun playing and winning this tournament last year and was really looking forward to returning there,” said Swiatek as reported by Antara, Saturday (21/ 9).
“I know that the fans will experience great tennis there and I am sorry that I cannot attend this time.”
The China Open starts on September 25. Last year, Swiatek dropped just one set in Beijing on her way to winning a sixth WTA 1000 title in her tournament debut.
After ending 2023 US Open champion Coco Gauff’s 16-match winning streak in the semifinals, Swiatek beat Liudmila Samsonova in the final.
This year, Swiatek has won four of the eight WTA 1000 events and last competed in New York. He also withdrew from this week’s Korea Open in Seoul citing schedule changes.
Also read: Sabalenka Beats Swiatek to Reach Cincinnati Final
Apart from Swiatek, world number nine Maria Sakkari suffering from an ongoing shoulder injury and ill world number 10 Danielle Collins also withdrawing from the main draw, the rest of the top 10 in the WTA rankings are expected to compete.
Meanwhile, 2019 US Open champion Bianca Andreescu withdrew from the qualifying round due to a knee injury.
Defending Australian Open and US Open champion Aryna Sabalenka will be the top seed in Beijing, a tournament where she has reached the quarter-finals twice in three career appearances, while US Open runner-up Jessica Pegula is expected to be the second seed. (Z-6)
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