The WTA 500 in Tokyo has begun, and the draw is incredibly strong. It includes this year’s French Open champion, Iga Swiatek, and also Jessica Pegula, who both won their opening round matches. However, there have been many withdrawals from the tournament. We at LWOT already reported on three withdrawals from the Tokyo Open. There are another five players to be added to that list. This article names those who have withdrawn, and then who replaced those five players in the draw.
Five Players Withdraw From the Tokyo Open
Which Players Have Withdrawn?
2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina withdrew just hours before her scheduled match against Linda Noskova. The 24-year-old had already made headlines in the media before her withdrawal. This was due to Rybakina’s fierce criticism of the WTA, after losing her bye to the second round due to the late application of performance byes. However, Ryabkina made no mention of those previous words in her statement about her withdrawal. She instead said that her body is not ready to compete yet.
Karolina Muchova also withdrew. This year’s French Open runner-up has not competed since her semifinal loss at the US Open to Coco Gauff. There is no indication of any injury sustained to the Czech. It appears to be a simple case of Muchova electing to get extra rest before the Beijing WTA 1000 event next week.
2021 French Open winner Barbora Krejcikova was another Czech player to withdraw. Unlike Muchova, she has played since the US Open, and with great success. Krejcikova won her seventh WTA singles title at the San Diego Open, beating Sofia Kenin in a thrilling final. The world #11 then elected not to play at the Guadalajara Open, and has now done the same for the WTA Tokyo Open. She should be fully rested for Beijing.
Magda Linette was the fourth absentee from the Tokyo Open player list. The Pole reached the final in Guangzhou last week, losing out in the final to Xiyu Wang. That achievement has understandably left the 31-year-old feeling fatigued, and needing recovery time.
Home favourite Natsumi Kawaguchi was the fifth withdrawal from the Tokyo Open. Her decision was a late one. It came mere hours before her first round contest with Despina Papamichail. The reason behind it is unclear.
Who Replaced Those Five Players in the Draw?
Himeno Sakatsume benefited from Rybakina’s withdrawal. The 22-year-old world #181 has not been in many WTA main draws, in her admittedly short career to date. This gave her an opportunity, but Linda Noskova was too good for her in the end, beating Sakatsume 6-2 7-5 in the first round.
Anhelina Kalnina replaced Muchova in the Tokyo Open draw. The Ukrainian is a dangerous player, as was proved when she nearly shocked Ons Jabeur at the Cincinnati Masters last month. And the 26-year-old showed that form again to easily beat Ashlyn Krueger in the opening round. Kalnina’s next match is against Caroline Garcia.
Cristina Bucsa was handed a place at the Tokyo Open after Krejcikova elected to withdraw. The Spaniard took advantage of her opportunity by beating home favourite Rina Saigo 6-1 6-2 in round one. But that joy was short-lived. Second seed Jessica Pegula easily defeated Bucsa by the exact same score in the next round.
Linette’s withdrawal gave Petra Martic a chance to compete at the Tokyo Open. Misaki Doi was her first round opponent. Doi announced last month that the Tokyo Open would be her final ever professional tournament, before retiring. But she extended her career by another match against Martic. The Croatian fell 7-5 6-2, much to the delight of the home crowd.
Finally, Sakura Hosogi replaced Kawaguchi in the draw. The 23-year-old had initially lost in the second round of qualifying. Hosogi gave a good account of herself against the much higher-ranked Despina Papamichail. But ultimately she lost in two very close sets 7-6 7-5.
Main Photo Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports
