The Wuhan Open has been significantly reshaped by a wave of high-profile withdrawals, with world No. 1 Elena Rybakina and defending champion Coco Gauff among 11 players pulling out of the tournament.
Rybakina withdrew Sunday, citing a lingering lower leg and foot injury that has plagued her since August. According to the source, the injury dates back to the Cincinnati tournament, where she retired from her quarterfinal against Iga Swiatek after an awkward landing. “It’s painful to walk,” she said at the time. Despite the injury, Rybakina recovered enough to win the US Open and reach world No. 1, but has struggled since. She also sat out the Billie Jean King Cup Finals in late September.
Gauff announced her withdrawal Wednesday, stating that “after a long year, my body needs some time to rest and recover.” She withdrew after losing in straight sets to Elise Mertens at the China Open. The decision to skip Wuhan effectively ends her Asian swing, though she has already qualified for the WTA Finals. The cost is significant: 1,000 ranking points from her Wuhan title are coming off this week with no chance to replace them.
The mass departures have transformed the tournament’s competitive landscape. When the WTA published its field report on September 17, all top-10 players were originally entered. Now, with Rybakina and Gauff out, only eight of them remain. Eight of the world’s top 25 players are missing overall.
Other notable withdrawals include Amanda Anisimova, who ended her season with a recurring left wrist injury; Naomi Osaka, who withdrew to spend time with family; and Emma Navarro, who ended her season after revealing a diagnosis of Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport and an autoimmune thyroid condition. Victoria Mboko, Madison Keys, Anastasia Potapova, Hailey Baptiste, Barbora Krejcikova, and Karolina Pliskova have also withdrawn, citing injuries ranging from knee to shoulder to back problems.
With the field depleted, Aryna Sabalenka moves into the top seed position while seeking her fourth Wuhan title, having won in 2018, 2019, and 2024. She is now the only former champion remaining in the draw. Sabalenka’s path to victory appears considerably clearer, with the world No. 1, defending champion, and six additional top-25 players absent from the competition.
Key facts
- Elena Rybakina withdrew from the Wuhan Open due to a lingering lower leg and foot injury dating back to August’s Cincinnati tournament
- Coco Gauff withdrew to rest and recover after a long season, effectively ending her Asian swing
- Aryna Sabalenka becomes the top seed as a three-time Wuhan champion, seeking her fourth title
- 11+ players have withdrawn, including eight from the world’s top 25
- The injury to Rybakina has been painful to walk on since Cincinnati, where she retired from her quarterfinal