Iga Swiatek, Jessica Pegula, Elena Rybakina, and more have withdrawn from the Seoul Open.
Polish tennis star Iga Swiatek has withdrawn from the upcoming Seoul Open 2024. The WTA World No. #1 won’t participate in the competition due to fatigue and tight schedule. This year, Swiatek has already won the Madrid-Rome double, the French Open and also won a bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Post the Olympics, she withdrew from the Canadian Open before losing to Jessica Pegula in the Cincinnati Masters semifinals. Swiatek lost to the same opponent in the 2024 US Openquarterfinals, earlier this month. However, tennis enthusiasts would have to wait to see the Pole returning to action.
Due to fatigue and fitness concerns, the 23-year-old will miss the Seoul Open. In addition to Iga Swiatek’s withdrawal, defending champion and the 2024 US Open runner-up Jessica Pegula has also pulled out due to a rib injury.
Pegula won the Canadian Open by defeating countrywoman Amanda Anisimova in the final. Later, she ended as a runner-up at the Cincinnati Masters and the US Open. However, her campaign at the Flushing Meadows was memorable for her as she reached her first Grand Slam final.
Apart from these two, Elena Rybakinawill also miss the tournament due to a back injury and health concerns. The 2020 Wimbledon champion has missed a handful of events this year to prioritise her health. However, she had failed to capitalise on the rest.
American tennis star Emma Navarro has also withdrawn from the tournament. Navarro reached the semifinals of the 2024 US Open after she lost in the first round of the Cincinnati Open to Russian prodigy Mirra Andreeva. Unfortunately, all top 10 players have pulled out from the tournament.
As a result, Russia’s Daria Kasatkina is the top seed at the 2024 Seoul Open. Liudmila Samsonova is seeded second, followed by Beatriz Haddad Maia on third and Diana Shnaider in fourth. Marta Kostyuk, Yulia Putintseva, Ekaterina Alexandrova and Yuan Yue are also seeded in the main draw.
Emma Raducanu had replaced Iga Swiatek in the main draw, and Zhang Shuai had taken the spot of Elena Rybakina. The tournament is scheduled to take place from September 16 to 22.
