Wuhan Open Loses Rybakina and Gauff as Withdrawals Pile Up

World No. 1 Elena Rybakina and defending champion Coco Gauff are among 11+ players who have withdrawn from the Wuhan Open so far. The exits leave Aryna Sabalenka, a three-time Wuhan champion, as the top seed in a field that looks far more open than it did a few weeks ago.

Elena Rybakina Out With a Foot Injury

Rybakina withdrew on Sunday, a day after losing to unseeded Alina Charaeva in the second round of the China Open in Beijing. She cited a lingering lower leg and foot injury, and she said after the loss that she felt it late in the match. The world No. 1 had also skipped the Billie Jean King Cup Finals in late September.

The problem dates back to Cincinnati in August, where she retired from her quarterfinal against Iga Swiatek after an awkward landing, trailing 4-1 in the first set. The WTA initially reported a left ankle injury, though later reports described a lingering lower-leg and foot problem. She said afterward that it had been bothering her for a while and worsened after back-to-back weeks in Toronto and Cincinnati. “It’s painful to walk,” she said.

Rybakina recovered in time to win the US Open and reach world No. 1, but she has struggled since. Her exit also changed the Wuhan field significantly. When the WTA published its field report on September 17, every player in the top 10 was originally entered. Now, with Rybakina and Gauff out, only eight of them remain. Aryna Sabalenka moves into the top seed spot, and Liudmila Samsonova takes Rybakina's place in the draw.

Defending Champion Coco Gauff Needs Rest

Gauff announced Wednesday that she won’t be in Wuhan to defend her title this season. She won last year’s tournament by beating Jessica Pegula 6-4, 7-5 without dropping a set, marking her third WTA 1000 title. “After a long year, my body needs some time to rest and recover,” she said in a statement shared by the tournament.

The decision came after she lost in straight sets to Elise Mertens in the China Open round of 16, a match in which she complained of health issues. Skipping Wuhan effectively ends Gauff’s Asian swing and focuses the rest of her season on the WTA Finals, which she has already qualified for.

The break gives her more time than her rivals to recover and adjust to the time difference, which matters in a year in which she has won only one WTA title. However, the cost is ranking points, with 1,000 points from her Wuhan title coming off this week with no chance to replace them.

Other Notable Withdrawals

At the time of writing, 11 total players have withdrawn from the draw in Wuhan, with eight of the world’s top 25 players missing. Here’s what's been reported about the remaining withdrawn athletes:

Amanda Anisimova: Anisimova ended her season with a recurring left wrist injury, announcing on social media that she had “sustained a wrist injury again” and would return in 2027. She also withdrew from the Singapore Open and from the China Open, where she was the defending champion.
Naomi Osaka: Osaka lost a fourth-round match to Karolina Muchova in Beijing, then withdrew from Wuhan to fly home to spend time with her family. The tournament cited a “change in her schedule” for Osaka, who hopes to return in Tokyo.
Victoria Mboko: Mboko hurt the MCL in her left knee when she slipped on the grass at Queen’s Club in June and hasn’t played since. She isn’t expected back until 2027.
Madison Keys: Keys is listed as out with an abdominal injury, following her withdrawals from Beijing and Wuhan after losing in the third round of the US Open to Qinwen Zheng.
Emma Navarro: Navarro ended her season after revealing she was diagnosed a year ago with Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S), and that she also has an autoimmune thyroid condition.
Anastasia Potapova: Potapova ended her season after retiring from her match in Beijing with a right shoulder injury. She wrote on Instagram that her body had been telling her more and more that it was time to stop, and that she would see everyone in 2027.
Hailey Baptiste: Baptiste tore her ACL at the French Open and is unlikely to return this year.
Barbora Krejcikova: Krejcikova pulled out of the China Open with a back injury and has now withdrawn from Wuhan as well.
Karolina Pliskova: Pliskova initially withdrew from the China Open, and the WTA lists a back injury as the reason for her withdrawals.

Sabalenka Becomes the Top Seed

With Rybakina out, Aryna Sabalenka becomes the top seed while seeking her fourth Wuhan title, having won in 2018, 2019, and 2024. Currently, she stands as the only former champion left in the field this year, though her 20-match Wuhan winning streak ended in last year’s semifinal against Jessica Pegula. As a result, Sabalenka will be looking to redeem herself and take advantage of this year’s depleted draw.

On paper at least, her path is much clearer now. The world No. 1, the defending champion, and six more top-25 players are all gone. Further, a title in Wuhan would nearly erase Rybakina’s lead in the race to the WTA Finals, which the WTA’s standings put at about 1,000 points. Together, all of these factors create a perfect storm for Sabalenka to reclaim her No. 1 spot almost as quickly as she lost it.

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