Emma Raducanu & Simona Halep lead the field at Transylvania Open but no spectators allowed in the stands
Simona Halep and Emma Raducanu will be amongst the top seeds at the newly-minted Transylvania Open, scheduled to be played in Cluj-Napoca between 25 to 31 October.
Two-time Grand Slam champion Garbine Muguruza is the top seed, but she pulled out of the tournament on Saturday. The Spaniard has, in fact, joined a long list of last-minute withdrawals.
Other big names that have been forced to skip the tournament after initially appearing on the entry list include Paula Badosa (the reigning Indian Wells champion), Viktorija Golubic and Ekaterina Alexandrova.
The tournament, however, still boasts of a strong field led by Halep and Raducanu- the only two Grand Slam champions remaining in the draw. They are likely to face stiff challenges from 2021 title winners Anett Kontaveit, Andrea Petkovic, Alison van Uytvanck and Elena-Gabriela Ruse.
The tournament organizers also announced on Saturday that the inaugural edition of the Transylvania Open will be played without fans. Their statement confirmed that all main draw matches will be played behind closed doors, due to the Romanian government's new COVID-19 regulations.
The officials also said they undertook all possible measures to ensure the tournament could be held with fans in attendance, and that they followed all rules and safety procedures. They added that they were "incredibly sad" by the latest developments.
"Due to a last-moment Government decision, we are sadly forced to host Transylvania Open without any fans," the statement read. "This decision takes effect Monday."
"We did our absolute best to be prepared with the safest possible event in these special circumstances, following all the rules and the safety procedures, and we were confident in our ability to deliver it," the officials added. "Now we are incredibly sad to not have you, our friends, in the stands."
Emma Raducanu hits the practice courts in Cluj-Napoca
Emma Raducanu arrived in Cluj-Napoca on Saturday, and received a warm reception from the fans. The 18-year-old had earlier expressed her excitement at playing in Romania, the country where her father was born, for the first time in her career.
The Transylvania Open's social media handles have been sharing pictures of Raducanu hitting the practice courts ahead of the tournament. The draw was released earlier on Saturday, with first-round matches set to begin on Monday.
Emma Raducanu has landed in the top half of the draw, along with Simona Halep. The two players open against Polona Hercog and Elena-Gabriela Ruse in their respective first matches.
Emma X Gabi.
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