Elena Rybakina's woes continue as Kazakh latest to withdraw from China Open 2024 due to injury
Elena Rybakina’s 2024 campaign has suffered yet another blow. It was recently confirmed that the Kazakh has withdrawn from the upcoming WTA 1000 China Open in Beijing (September 25-October 6).
According to the official social media page of the China Open, Rybakina pulled out of the event due to a back injury. The said injury also led to the 25-year-old’s withdrawal from the second round of the US Open, which was her most recent tournament.
Following her New York exit, where she announced her separation from longtime coach Stefano Vukov, she also decided against competing at the Korea Open in Seoul.
Elena Rybakina's latest no-show means she risks dropping out of the top 4 in the world rankings, given she was defending her 390 points from last year’s semifinal run. This also marks her ninth withdrawal of the season. Besides her absence in Seoul and retirements in Dubai, Berlin, and the US Open, the World No. 4 pulled out of the Paris Olympics, the Eastbourne International, the Indian Wells Open, and the Italian Open due to injuries and illnesses such as acute bronchitis and gastrointestinal issues.
Despite her woes, though, Elena Rybakina has scripted a noteworthy run in 2024, winning three titles at the WTA 500 events in Brisbane, Abu Dhabi and Stuttgart. She also made two WTA 1000 finals — in Doha and Miami.
Besides Elena Rybakina, Iga Swiatek, Danielle Collins, Maria Sakkari, and others set to miss China Open 2024
Elena Rybakina isn’t the only top player who has withdrawn from the WTA 1000 China Open. Iga Swiatek, who was the defending champion in Beijing, too pulled out of the tournament, citing personal reasons. Before that, the World No. 1, just like Rybakina, pulled out of the Korea Open due to fatigue.
Other top players who joined Swiatek and Rybakina in withdrawing from the event were Danielle Collins, Maria Sakkari, Elina Svitolina, Ons Jabeur, and Marketa Vondrousova.
Meanwhile, newly crowned US Open champion Aryna Sabalenka is the top seed and is all set to take the court. The World No. 2, who was the quarterfinalist last year, is chasing her fourth title of the season in Beijing.
Other top players who will be in action at the China Open are Jessica Pegula, Jasmine Paolini, Coco Gauff, Zheng Qinwen, Emma Navarro, Barbora Krejcikova, Jelena Ostapenko, and Paula Badosa.