The final Grand Slam of the year is now tantalisingly close. On Monday morning the US Open will begin in New York. It is a tournament that promises much, with many highlights in the men’s draw, as well as the women’s draw.
However. there has been some unfortunate news. Last week we at LWOT brought news of four withdrawals from Flushing Meadows. Sadly four more players have now withdrawn from the US Open. All four of these are women’s singles players.
Four More Players Withdraw From US Open
A former champion in New York is one of those forced to withdraw. Bianca Andreescu will not be appearing at the venue where she won her sole Grand Slam title in 2019. The Canadian withdrew from the Cincinnati Masters 1000 due to a stress fracture in her back. She did this to try and be fit and ready for the US Open, but that has not happened. Andreescu was already having a difficult season before this setback. Hopefully she can recover as quickly as possible.
Paula Badosa is another high profile withdrawal. The former Grand Slam quarterfinalist will not just be absent from the US Open, but it is also ending her season due to injury. The Spaniard has not played any matches since Wimbledon, but she had also been struggling with injuries before this throughout the season. She will hope this decision can make her hit the ground running in 2024.
A home favurite has also been lost after the withdrawal of American Caty McNally. The 21-year-old missed her hometown event in Cincinnati due to injury. Regrettably this issue has not been resolved in time for the US Open. McNally reached the third round of her home Grand Slam in 2020, but will have to wait at least another year to equal or better that achievement.
Simona Halep is also counted as having withdrawn from the US Open. She automatically withdrew when the qualifying draw was made. The two-time Grand Slam champion has not competed since October 2022, after testing positive for the banned substance roxadustat. The Romanian appealed the decision, and hoped that she would be proven innocent in time to play in New York. This has not happened, and the saga surrounding Halep continues for now.
Who Replaces Those Four Players in the Draw?
Andreescu’s place has been taken by qualifier Elsa Jacquemot. She now battles Lesia Tsurenko instead of the Canadian. It will be Jacquemot’s second ever Grand Slam main draw appearance. The Frenchwoman played possibly the most extraordinary qualifying match at this year’s US Open. She saved a remarkable seven match points in her victory against Diana Shnaider in her second qualifying contest, before winning again in the following round to book a place in the main draw.
Another qualifier has taken Badosa’s place. Greet Minnen will make a fourth consecutive appearance at Flushing Meadows. The Belgian reached the third round in 2021. Minnen gets a particularly unique reward for qualifying. She now faces tennis and American legend Venus Williams in the first round. The 26-year-old is a relatively experienced campaigner, but it is likely to be an atmosphere she won’t have experienced before.
Madison Brengle benefited from McNally’s withdrawal. The 33-year-old is extremely experienced, and is set to make her tenth consecutive main draw appearance at the US Open. Two third rounds are her best achievements at the tournament to date. The extremely talented Linda Niskova is Brengle’s opponent. The 18-year-old reached the final in Prague this month, and will be a big challenge.
Finally, Taylor Townsend is set to compete in the US Open main draw after the automatic removal of Halep. Townsend has made seven outings at her home Grand Slam in the past. The most memorable was in 2019, when she went as far as the fourth round. Varvara Gracheva is Townsend’s opponent. The French player has reached the third round at Flushing Meadows, and her sole WTA final also came on US soil at the ATX Open in March of this year.
Main Photo Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
