The Ningbo Open is the next event in China on the WTA tour, as the country continues its return to hosting women’s tennis tournaments. It takes place at the same time as the Tokyo Open WTA 500, which has seen three withdrawals. Despite that, the Ningbo Open 250 still has a very strong entry list, including Petra Kvitova, and also this year’s Wimbledon finalist Ons Jabeur. However, there are four players who have withdrawn from the event. This article lists those players, and the four women who now replace them in the draw.
Four Players Withdraw From the Ningbo Open
The Players Who Have Withdrawn
Martina Trevisan is one of those to withdraw from the Ningbo Open. The Italian had a very good week at the Guadalajara Open, reaching her second-ever WTA 1000 quarterfinal. Her loss in the quarterfinal was very tough though. Trevisan fell despite holding four match points. In addition, she played a couple of very long matches in hot and humid conditions in Mexico. The 29-year-old understandably feels that a mental and physical break is necessary.
2021 Australian Open finalist Jennifer Brady has also withdrawn. The American has not played a match since her third-round loss at the US Open to the returning Caroline Wozniacki over three weeks ago. Brady only recently returned to professional tennis herself after a foot injury kept her off the court for two years. Hence it is not a major surprise that she is being cautious. Overplaying too soon may risk undoing all her hard work to return.
Alycia Parks is another American who is absent from the Ningbo Open entry list. The current #45 in the world got to the second round last week in Guadalajara, before being comfortably beaten by Ons Jabeur in the round of 32. Parks is just five places below her career-high ranking. She will hope the extra time to prepare for the Beijing Open next week can lead to a deep run there.
Julia Grabher is the fourth player to withdraw from the Ningbo Open. The Austrian withdrew from the US Open last month, due to a wrist injury picked up in training. Unfortunately, that problem has still yet to fully recover, meaning the world #72 has made the decision not to make her return in China.
Who Replaces Those Four Players in the Draw?
Elizabeth Mandlik benefits from the withdrawal of Trevisan. The 22-year-old has one Grand Slam win to her name, last year at the US Open. This shows her inexperience at the highest level, although she did briefly enter the Top 100 in June of this year. Mandlik must navigate the very tough challenge of Katerina Siniakova if she is to get another WTA main draw win.
Elina Avanesyan enters the Ningbo Open main draw due to Brady’s decision to withdraw. She is enjoying her best season to date, and sits at a career-high ranking of #62. The 21-year-old is primarily a clay-court specialist, showing that with an excellent run to the fourth round at the French Open this year. Clara Tauson is her challenge in the opening round.
Tamara Korpatsch replaces Parks in the Ningbo Open draw. The German is currently just four places below her career-high ranking of #74, after a solid season that has seen her notch 20 main draw victories. The 28-year-old battles Jodie Burrage in the first round.
Finally, Kamilla Rakhimova takes the place of Grabher at the Ningbo Open. Her highlight this season was reaching the third round of Roland-Garros. She will hope to show her hard court credentials in an opening-round clash against sixth seed Arantxa Rus.
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane – USA TODAY Sports
