U.S. Open: Another four players withdraw from event

The final Grand Slam of the year is now tantalizingly close. On Monday morning the U.S. 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, news of four withdrawals from Flushing Meadows surfaced. Now, four more players have now withdrawn from the U.S. Open. All four are women’s singles players.

A former champion is is among 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. That move was an effort to be fit and ready for the U.S. Open, but it appears it was unsuccessful. 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 U.S. Open, but is also ending her season due to injury. The Spaniard has not played since Wimbledon and has been struggling with injuries throughout the season.

An American favorite has also been lost after the withdrawal of American Caty McNally. The 21-year-old missed her hometown event in Cincinnati due to injury and the issue has not been resolved in time for the U.S. 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Simona Halep is also counted as having withdrawn from the US Open.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 due to her provisional suspension, via the AP. The two-time Grand Slam champion has not competed since October 2022, after testing positive for a banned substance. 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 Grand Slam main draw appearance. The Frenchwoman played possibly an extraordinary qualifying match at this year’s U.S. 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, as 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 hasn't 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 U.S. Open. A pair of appearances in the third round are her best achievements at the tournament to date. The extremely talented Linda Noskova is Brengle’s opponent. The 18-year-old reached the final in Prague earlier in August, and will be a big challenge.

Finally, Taylor Townsend is set to compete after the automatic removal of Halep. Townsend has made seven outings at her home Grand Slam in her career. The most memorable was in 2019, when she made 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 U.S. soil at the ATX Open in March.