LONDON: Former US Open champion Emma Raducanu became the latest high-profile player to withdraw from the China Open after the Briton said she was skipping the WTA 1000 tournament due to a foot injury.

Raducanu has struggled with injuries since capturing the New York title in 2021 and spent most of last season recovering from ankle and wrist surgeries.

The 21-year-old, who has since climbed to 54th in the world, sustained her latest setback in the Korea Open quarter-finals on Saturday while playing Daria Kasatkina.

“I sprained some ligaments in my foot which unfortunately need some more time to heal,” Raducanu said on Monday.

“It means I can’t play in Beijing but I hope to be back competing as soon as I can.”

Ex-Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina, world number one Iga Swiatek and three-times Grand Slam runner-up Ons Jabeur have decided to skip the Beijing event, which runs from Sept 25-Oct 6.

The men’s ATP 500 tournament in Beijing lost one of its top players when organisers said world number two Alexander Zverev had pulled out due to pneumonia.

Published in Dawn, September 25th, 2024