Elena Rybakina Withdraws From Wuhan Just Days After China Open Upset

Rybakina withdrew from the Wuhan Open on Sunday, just a day after losing to unseeded Alina Charaeva in the second round of the China Open in Beijing. The 27-year-old cited a lingering lower leg and foot injury, and her status for the rest of the season is now uncertain.

Charaeva Upsets Rybakina in China Open

Rybakina lost 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 to Charaeva during Saturday’s second-round match at the China Open, lasting 2 hours and 11 minutes. This was her first match since beating Aryna Sabalenka in the US Open final and taking over the WTA top ranking spot.

Rybakina won the opening set, but Charaeva took the next two sets confidently by converting five of eight break points over the match. Rybakina also hit seven double faults, which is uncharacteristic of the Kazakh player who averages just 2.88 per match.

The result also carried some historical weight, with Rybakina becoming only the second woman to lose her first match as world No. 1 (after Naomi Osaka in 2019). This made Charaeva the lowest-ranked player since the WTA rankings began in 1975 to rally from a set down to beat the top-ranked player.

Rybakina Pulls Out of Wuhan

Tournament organizers announced Rybakina’s withdrawal on Sunday via social media, citing a foot injury. The Wuhan Open runs from October 12th through 18th and is the final WTA 1000 event of the season. After the Charaeva match, Rybakina said that she felt her foot late in the match.

In a statement shared by the tournament, Rybakina apologized to the fans who had hoped to see her in Wuhan, saying, “I’m very sorry to the fans who were looking forward to seeing me play.” She continued, “I’ll take some time to rest and recover. Thank you for your understanding and continued support. See you next year.”

Rybakina now joins Amanda Anisimova, Madison Keys, Emma Navarro, and Karolina Pliskova among the event's pre-tournament withdrawals.

What This Means for Her Ranking and Season

Most importantly, the loss and withdrawal don’t threaten Rybakina's hold on No. 1 in the short term. She began the China Open 2,091 points ahead of Sabalenka, who lost in the third round in Beijing on Sunday, leaving Rybakina's lead still above 2,000 points afterward.

Skipping Wuhan will cost Rybakina the 215 points she earned there last year, but she also leads Sabalenka in the race to the WTA Finals by roughly 1,000 points. She’s already the first singles qualifier for the WTA Finals in Indian Wells this year, where she is also the defending champion.

The bigger question is now her health, and whether she’ll be at 100% by the time the WTA Finals roll around. Rybakina is scheduled to compete next at the Ningbo 500, where she is the defending champion. However, her foot injury leaves the rest of her Asian swing uncertain, and how quickly she recovers will determine how much momentum she carries into the WTA Finals.

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