NEW DELHI: French qualifier Jessika Ponchet advanced to the third round of the US Open via walkover when world No. 4 Elena Rybakina withdrew on Thursday.
In the opening round, the Australian qualifier Destanee Aiava was defeated by the Kazakh, who was born in Russia and had won Wimbledon in 2022.
"My injuries" compelled me to withdraw, Rybakina stated in a statement, as per AFP.
"I did not want to finish the last Grand Slam of the year this way but I have to listen to my body, and I hope I can close out the remainder of the year strong," she said.
Two weeks following her shocking defeat at the hands of Czech player Barbora Krejcikova in the Wimbledon semifinals, Rybakina also withdrew from the Paris Olympics.
At the All England Club, Rybakina, who was favored to win a second consecutive title, later revealed that she had become ill with acute bronchitis.
In addition, she withdrew from the Toronto hard court tournament prior to dropping her Cincinnati opening match this month.
Rybakina won victories in Stuttgart, Brisbane, and Abu Dhabi this season, and she currently leads the WTA tour in aces with 332.
In 2023, she made it to the final of the Australian Open; yet, the US Open is the only Grand Slam where she has never advanced past the fourth round.
Days prior to the competition, Rybakina had disclosed that she had broken off a five-year collaboration with coach Stefano Vukov; nonetheless, she avoided answering questions regarding that decision during the press conference following her victory over Aiava.
