Rybakina hopes to be ready for WTA Finals after withdrawing from Asian swing

BEIJING -- World No.4 Elena Rybakina has withdrawn from the fall Asian swing due to a back injury. Rybakina was set to finish her regular season on the Hologic WTA Tour at the back-to-back WTA 1000s in Beijing and Wuhan.

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Rybakina remains hopeful that she will be ready to compete at the season-ending WTA Finals Riyadh if she qualifies. She currently sits at No.3 on the PIF Race to the WTA Finals, which begins on Nov. 2. 

"Due to an ongoing back injury, I regretfully have to withdraw from the upcoming Asian tournaments," Rybakina said in a statement. "While I’ve been working hard on my recovery, my medical team and I have decided it's best to prioritize my health at this time.

"This has been a challenging year and I am grateful for the support from the tournament organizers and all of my fans. My team and I will work on getting me back on the court before the season finale."

Rybakina, 25, captured three WTA 500 titles in the first four months of the season. She began the year by defeating No.2 Aryna Sabalenka to win the Brisbane International, secured a second title at the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open, and ousted defending champion and World No.1 Iga Swiatek en route to the title at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. Rybakina followed up Stuttgart with a run to the Mutua Madrid Open semifinals. 

Rybakina has been forced to withdraw ahead of two title defenses this season, at the BNP Paribas Open and Internazionali BNL d'Italia. After another strong run to the Wimbledon semifinals, Rybakina has played just two tournaments since. She withdrew ahead of her second match at the US Open due to a lower back injury.