Aryna Sabalenka withdraws from China Open, livens up race for world No. 1

Aryna Sabalenka, the world No. 1, has withdrawn from the WTA 1000 China Open in Beijing due to a “minor injury,” the tournament confirmed Wednesday.

The event, which begins September 24, was slated to be Sabalenka’s first tournament since she defended her U.S. Open title earlier this month.

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As of Wednesday morning, Sabalenka had not commented on the news, but she has managed her schedule carefully at times this season. In August, she skipped the Canadian Open to extend her recovery and training time after Wimbledon. A representative from her team did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Sabalenka is due to return to action at next month’s Wuhan Open, which begins on October 6, the day after the China Open finishes. It’s possible that her lead as the world No. 1 will have been cut quite considerably by then.

Based on points won this year in the race to be the season-ending world No. 1, Sabalenka leads Iga Świątek by 2,077 points. Świątek is competing at the Korea Open this week, where 500 points are up for grabs for the winner, ahead of the 1,000 on offer for the China Open champion. A few good weeks for Świątek would give her a chance of overhauling Sabalenka at the year-ending WTA Finals, which take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia at the start of November.

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Heavy rain has meant that Świątek’s opening match in Seoul, against Sorana Cîrstea of Romania or Russia’s Anastasia Zakharova, has been delayed until Thursday.

Sabalenka will have had around a month off court by the time of her expected return in Wuhan.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

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