The second WTA 1000 event of 2024 begins on Sunday at the WTA Dubai Tennis Championships. The entry list is incredible, with world No. 1 Iga Swiatek and Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka both set to be in action. However, five players have elected to withdraw from the tournament. This article lists those who have withdrawn and then gives their five replacements in the draw.
Five Players Withdraw From WTA Dubai Tennis Championships
Which Players Have Withdrawn?
Naomi Osaka is the first player to withdraw from the WTA Dubai Tennis Championships. The four-time Grand Slam champion had a positive tournament in Doha, where she reached the quarterfinal. There does not appear to be an injury issue, and the Japanese star is likely getting some rest so soon into her comeback before Indian Wells and Miami in March.
Angelique Kerber is the second player to withdraw from the tournament. Like Osaka, the three-time Grand Slam champion returned to tennis at the start of this season after being away on maternity leave. She did not play in Doha last week either and has elected to skip the entire Middle East swing.
Barbora Krejcikova is another player to withdraw. The 2021 French Open champion did not compete in Doha last week due to a back injury. Krejcikova has confirmed that she needs more time to recover from the injury, meaning she will be missing in Dubai.
Last year’s French Open runner-up Karolina Muchova is the fourth player to withdraw from the event. This is due to a persistent wrist injury that kept Muchova out of the Australian Open. That injury also stopped the Czech from making a maiden appearance at the WTA finals last year.
Finally, last year’s Montreal Masters champion, Jessica Pegula, has also withdrawn from the WTA Dubai Tennis Championships. The American No. 2 announced a couple of weeks ago that she would not be playing in any of the Middle East swing due to a neck injury.
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Who Replaces Those Five Players In The Draw?
Katerina Siniakova replaces Osaka at the WTA Dubai Tennis Championships. She had two excellent wins in Doha against Donna Vekic and the US Open champion Coco Gauff. Her run was ended by Danielle Collins, but the Czech now has a chance to build on the previous momentum she had.
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova benefits from the withdrawal of Kerber from the WTA Dubai Tennis Championships. The 2021 French Open runner-up had an excellent tournament in Doha, where she reached her first WTA 1000 hard-court semifinal since 2010. That superb run was ended by Elena Rybakina.
Peyton Stearns is set to feature at the WTA 1000 event after Krejcikova’s decision to withdraw. The American was less successful in Doha, losing to Elise Mertens in the first round. She now has a chance to rectify that.
Teenage prodigy Mirra Andreeva replaces Muchova at the WTA Dubai Tennis Championships. She has not played since the Australian Open fourth-round, where she lost to Krejcikova in three sets. The 16-year-old is a phenomenal talent and always creates attention at the events she features in.
Finally, Arantxa Rus takes Pegula’s place at the WTA Dubai Tennis Championships. Last year’s champion in Hamburg most recently lost a dramatic first-round contest in Doha to Petra Martic in a final-set tiebreak.
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Main Photo Credit: Mike Frey – USA TODAY Sports
