The Masters-1000 event at the National Bank Open in Canada starts on Monday. It will be the first ATP or WTA hard-court tournament since the Miami Open in March. 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko and last year’s US Open winner Coco Gauff are the top seeds on the women’s side. However, several WTA players have elected to withdraw from women’s event in Toronto. This article names the players who have withdrawn and also gives their replacements in the draw. We at LWOT also have the full list of ATP players who withdrew from the National Bank Open.
Full List of WTA Players to Withdraw From National Bank Open
Which Players Have Withdrawn?
Iga Swiatek was the most high-profile player to withdraw from the National Bank Open. She claimed a bronze medal in the women’s singles at the Olympics. However, she was very emotional after being strategically outclassed by Qinwen Zheng in the semifinal. That brutal loss, which cost her a chance of a gold medal, means Swiatek needs time to recover physically and mentally.
Elena Rybakina was the other top-five player to withdraw from the National Bank Open. She did not play at the Olympics due to acute bronchitis. Unfortunately, the 2022 Wimbledon champion has still not recovered from that illness. It is currently unknown when Rybakina, who has reached five finals this season, will likely return to the court.
Donna Vekic was another player to withdraw from the tournament. Her decision not to compete in Toronto is unsurprising. Vekic progressed to the final of the women’s singles at the Olympics, beating Anna Karolina Schmiedlova. The final is being played on Saturday, and recovering from her efforts in Paris would be difficult for the Croatian.
Jasmine Paolini also withdrew from the National Bank Open. She has put together an outstanding run to the final of the women’s doubles at the Olympics alongside Sara Errani. The Italian pair’s battle for a gold medal against Mirra Andreeva and Diana Shnaider is on Sunday, meaning Paolini would have had even less time to prepare for the event in Canada than Vekic
Danielle Collins has also decided not to play in Toronto. The Miami Open champion retired from her Olympics quarterfinal against Iga Swiatek with an abdominal injury. She tried to play in the doubles afterward, but the American struggled throughout. Collins taking some time to rest that problem before her final US Open is a wise move.
The other players to withdraw were: (this list will be continuously updated until the tournament begins)
Barbora Krejcikova
Caroline Garcia
Maria Sakkari
Marketa Vondrousova
Sorana Cirstea
Ekaterina Alexandrova
Veronika Kudermetova
Karolina Muchova
Linda Noskova
Katerina Siniakova
Xinyu Wang
Qinwen Zheng
Who Replaces Those Players in the Draw?
The replacements for the withdrawn players at the National Bank Open are:
Karolina Pliskova
Sofia Kenin
Caroline Dolehide
Peyton Stearns
Sloane Stephens
Shuai Zhang
Cristina Bucsa
Shelby Rogers
Viktoriya Tomova
Clara Tauson
Amanda Anisimova
Tatjana Maria
Anna Blinkova
Lesia Tsurenko
Nadia Podoroska
Magdalena Frech
Main Photo Credit: Eric Bolte – USA TODAY Sports
