This week's Ningbo Open has been dealt a blow after Jasmine Paolini and Emma Navarro withdrew for different reasons.
The final WTA 1000 tournament of the season took place last week at the Wuhan Open. Aryna Sabalenka won the title after beating home favorite Qinwen Zheng in three sets after an entertaining final.
Coco Gauff reached the semifinalist at the event in Wuhan. That result was enough for the American to rise in the rankings for a second consecutive week and become the new American No. 1.
However, the last WTA-1000 being played does not mean the Asian swing is over. Three more weeks of tournaments will be completed on the continent before the WTA Finals next month.
The ongoing Ningbo Open and Japan Championships are the first two of the remaining tournaments. Although both events will undoubtedly produce great tennis, the Ningbo Open has more top players in the draw due to having WTA-500 status.
Olympic gold medalist Zheng and Anna Kalinskaya, who reached a career-high ranking in the latest rankings, are among the notable names in the draw for the 2024 Ningbo Open.
Paolini was set to be the No. 1 seed at the WTA-500 tournament. The Italian lost in the Wuhan Open quarterfinal in three sets to Zheng, coming close to fighting back after losing the opening set heavily.
Despite that disappointment, Paolini still had reason to celebrate last week. She was among four players to book their place in the WTA Finals, with Gauff one of the others to confirm her spot in Riyadh next month.
Paolini's superb runs to the French Open and Wimbledon finals are a significant reason for her qualification for the year-end event. Another factor was winning her maiden WTA-1000 title at the Dubai Championships in February.
The 28-year-old's star quality and the possibility of a rematch against the No. 2 seed Zheng in the final meant her presence at the Ningbo Open would have been very exciting for the fans attending the tournament.
Unfortunately, the Ningbo Open's social media pages confirmed that Paolini had withdrawn with a left foot injury. Although that is disappointing news, the Italian's caution with the WTA Finals coming up is understandable.
After the Wuhan open, there was only one qualifying spot left for the WTA Finals. After reaching the semifinal of the China Open and the final in Wuhan, Zheng occupied that position, with Emma Navarro previously having the most realistic chance of overtaking her.
However, the American very likely won't get a chance to play at the WTA Finals after she withdrew from the Ningbo Open due to an illness. Navarro would have been the No. 3 seed at the tournament in East China.
This year's US Open semifinalist is too far behind Zheng, and after her withdrawal from the Ningbo Open, her chances of making it to Riyadh became unrealistic.
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