Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen has pulled out of the upcoming WTA 500 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, starting next week.
This was meant to be Zheng`s third appearance in Stuttgart, where she achieved her best result last year by reaching the Round of 16, in a close match against Marta Kostyuk. Most recently, the World No. 8 was defeated by Ekaterina Alexandrova in the quarterfinals of the Credit One Charleston Open. This ended her streak of 13 consecutive wins on clay courts, although it was her third quarterfinal finish in a row and her first clay-court event of the season.
Ons Jabeur and Barbora Krejcikova have also withdrawn due to ongoing leg and back injuries, respectively.
Jabeur had to retire during her third-round match at the Miami Open against Jasmine Paolini because of her leg issue. Krejcikova hasn`t competed since reaching the semifinals of the WTA Finals in Riyadh last October.
The Stuttgart tournament will still feature a strong lineup, including World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, a three-time finalist there, and World No. 2 Iga Swiatek, a two-time champion. The top 5 players in the world – Jessica Pegula (No. 3), Coco Gauff (No. 4), and Mirra Andreeva (No. 5) – are also scheduled to participate. The projected top 8 seeds are expected to include Paolini, Emma Navarro, and Diana Shnaider. Shnaider will be starting with a new coach at the tournament, former World No. 1 Dinara Safina.
Zheng`s withdrawal means Rebecca Sramkova from Slovakia will now enter the main draw.
