Berlin Open withdrawals: WTA 500 event hit by another setback as 6 players pull out
Amanda Anisimova has become the third top-10 player to withdraw from the high-profile Berlin Open with her decision coming after the draw had been made.
The American was due to be seeded fourth at the WTA 500 tournament and found herself in the bottom half of the draw with a bye into the second round before a meeting with either a yet to be determined qualifier or wildcard Paula Badosa.
But Anisimova’s withdrawal was confirmed by tournament organisers on Sunday morning with her spot on the draw list going to fifth seed Coco Gauff, who will now have a bye in the first round before facing the winner of the Badosa-qualifier encounter.
Gauff’s spot goes to Diana Shnaider – who is now seeded ninth – with her opening match against wildcard Nicola Bartunkova while a lucky loser will now be upgraded into the main draw.
Nine of the top-10 players in the current WTA Rankings were initially on the entry list, but newly-crowned French Open champion Mirra Andreeva withdrew as the world No 5 needed more time to recover following her title run at Roland Garros last week.
WTA News
Serena Williams and Venus Williams receive major Wimbledon wildcard boost
Wimbledon withdrawal list: Victoria Mboko joins Carlos Alcaraz as 7 stars out
“My team and I have decided to take more time to rest, recover and better prepare for grass,” Andreeva said in a statement after the announcement. “I’ll miss the time in Berlin. Hope to be back next year!”
The 19-year-old was then joined on the sidelines by fellow teenager Victoria Mboko as the world No 9 suffered a serious knee injury during a fall at the HSBC Championships in London with the injury also resulting in her withdrawal from Wimbledon.
Shnaider gained a spot in the main draw after Andreeva’s withdrawal while Anastasia Potapova replaced Mboko.
World No 11 Belinda Bencic is also out as she is struggling with a right ankle injury as well as a left-knee problem.
Jasmine Paolini, who is currently ranked No 14th, and Sorana Cirstea (18th) are the other two players who have pulled out of the tournament.
Elise Mertens replaced Bencic in the draw, Anna Kalinskaya took Paolini’s place in the draw while Wang Xinyu earned a spot in the main draw as Cirstea’s replacement.
The tournament, though, will still have a high-quality field as world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka headlines the draw as she will face Ekaterina Alexandrova or Potapova in the second round while second seed Elena Rybakina takes on Donna Vekic or Alex Eala first up.
However, there are also doubts over Vekic’s appearance as she is still in action at the Queen’s Club Championship as she will face Emma Raducanu in Sunday’s final.
