The North American hard court swing has arrived, but some WTA players are delaying their start to it as five withdrawals have hit D.C., the only combined 500 on the calendar and one of the most prominent, and five players have withdrawn from the 250 in Memphis.
Which Players Have Withdrawn from D.C.?
The highest-ranked player to withdraw is Marta Kostyuk, coming off a Wimbledon semifinal run that ended an all-around excellent natural surface season. Kostyuk is up to a career-high ranking of No. 11 in the world and is on the precipice of her top-10 debut. With such strong results in the first half of the season, it’s not a surprise to see Kostyuk prioritizing bigger tournaments right now.
A less-expected withdrawal came from Jasmine Paolini, who seemed to turn things around with a Wimbledon quarterfinal run. But the foot injury that has plagued her all season is still holding her back, as it has forced her to withdraw from D.C. and Toronto as well, as she announced in an Instagram story.
Iva Jovic has withdrawn as well, her third withdrawal in her last four tournaments. Katerina Siniakova has also withdrawn and has not played following a disappointing Wimbledon in both singles and doubles. Rounding out the withdrawals is Jaqueline Cristian, who has been dealing with a knee injury for three weeks now.
Who Replaced Those Players in the Main Draw?
Jessica Pegula, who was originally entered as a late wild card, ended up taking Paolini’s place in the main draw. Pegula will be the top seed, a product of the strong season she’s been having as she’s ranked No. 3 in the rankings and No. 6 in the year-end race. Pegula’s direct entry freed up a wild card for Ashlyn Krueger, who just made the fourth round of Wimbledon as a qualifier.
The Polish duo of Magdalena Frech and Magda Linette replaced Jovic and Siniakova, respectively. Frech and Linette have had similar seasons, with both currently on a three-match losing streak and hovering around the top 50 in the year-to-date race. Linette faces a tough challenge in the first round, though, as she’ll face defending champion and seventh seed Leylah Fernandez.
Taking Kostyuk’s place is Elisabetta Cocciaretto, who hasn’t won a match since her 6-1 6-0 loss to Iga Swiatek in Rome. Cocciaretto has fallen outside the top 70 of the WTA rankings, though she is much higher in the race. Still, she needs to pick up points and this could be the perfect opportunity to do it.
The final alternate is the newly wed Katie Boulter, who will be cutting the honeymoon phase short to take Cristian’s spot in the main draw. Despite a poor showing at Wimbledon, Boulter is on the rise after finishing last season outside the top 100.
