Pegula, Rybakina withdraw from Seoul; Anisimova, Raducanu into main draw
Defending champion Jessica Pegula View Profile is one of four current or former Top 10 players who have withdrawn from the Korea Open, which begins on Sep. 16.
Pegula, who reached her first Grand Slam final last week at the US Open, has pulled out of the WTA 500 event in Seoul due to a rib injury. The American has been joined on the sidelines by former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina View Profile (back injury), US Open semifinalist Emma Navarro View Profile (change of schedule) and 2014 champion Karolina Pliskova (foot injury).
At the US Open, Rybakina withdrew ahead of her second-round match against Jessika Ponchet View Profile , and Pliskova was forced to retire three points into her second-round clash with Jasmine Paolini View Profile . Former World No.1 Pliskova has also withdrawn from the China Open, which begins on Sep. 25.
As a result of these four withdrawals, along with no Special Exempt place being used, the following five players move directly into the main draw: Zhang Shuai, Amanda Anisimova View Profile , Viktoriya Tomova View Profile , 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens and 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu View Profile . The next three alternates are Tatjana Maria View Profile , Arantxa Rus View Profile and Hailey Baptiste View Profile .
World No.1 Iga Swiatek View Profile heads the entry list, which also includes Daria Kasatkina View Profile , Diana Shnaider View Profile , Marta Kostyuk View Profile , Beatriz Haddad Maia View Profile , 2022 champion Ekaterina Alexandrova View Profile and 2023 runner-up Yuan Yue.