Guadalajara Open Faces Further Player Withdrawals.

Monday was the start of the second-to-last WTA 1000 event of 2023. On the first day of the Guadalajara Open, there was a lot of great tennis. Sloane Stephens, who won the US Open in 2017, won her first match.

On Wednesday, the top eight seeds will play against each other for the first time. There are great rivals like Ons Jabeur and Caroline Garcia in this group. But many of the best players in women’s tennis aren’t there. Five players have already pulled out of the Guadalajara Open, which we at LWOT have already told you about. Five more women are still missing, which is sad. This includes the current Guadalajara champion and three Grand Slam winners. This page lists the players who aren’t there and the five players who are taking their place.

Five people drop out of the Guadalajara Open

The five people who have dropped out

One of the biggest stars to drop out of the Guadalajara Open is Coco Gauff. But it’s not a huge surprise. There’s no doubt that the 19-year-old is still basking in the glory of her amazing win at the US Open. Almost every player would feel like they need more rest after winning a Grand Slam. But Gauff played a lot of long matches while she was champion, which makes it even more important.

Jessica Pegula, who was the defending winner, has also dropped out of the Guadalajara Open. The woman who had been in the quarterfinals of six Grand Slams did not say why she was giving up. Pegula would have liked to play at the WTA 1000 event she won last year. She lost to Madison Keys at the US Open. But it seems likely that she thought it would be better to rest for the Asian swing because of the way Guadalajara was scheduled this year.

Petra Kvitova, who has won Wimbledon twice, is also not on the list of people who can play in the Guadalajara Open. Last year, Kvitova made it to the second round. At 33 years old, the Czech player has to take even better care of her body. So, her choice is also not a surprise because of how things are set up.

Bianca Andreescu, who won the 2019 US Open, is the third Grand Slam winner who won’t be at the Guadalajara Open. Because of a stress fracture in her back, Andreescu had to drop out of the US Open. It looks like she hasn’t fully healed from that hurt yet. During the Asian swing, we hope that the Canadian will come back.

Another player who was going to play in the Guadalajara Open but had to drop out was Paula Badosa. This is something that has been known for a long time. Due to a back issue that kept coming back, the Spaniard had to end her season in August. She hopes to be better for the Australian Open in January.

Who took those five people’s places in the draw?

In the Guadalajara Open draw, Sofia Kenin took the place of Gauff. Gauff in fact lost to the 2020 Australian Open at Wimbledon earlier this year. Kenin also made it all the way to the final in San Diego, where she lost to Barbora Krejcikova by a small margin. In the first round, she will face Carol Zhao.

Caroline Dolehide is the one who will get Pegula’s money. The American is playing in her third WTA 1000 tournament at the Guadalajara Open. On one of her earlier trips, she made it to the third round at Indian Wells. In the first round, Peyton Stearns stands in her way.

Iryna Shymanovich went to Guadalajara in place of Kvitova. The Belarusian is playing in the main draw at a WTA 1000 event for the first time. She has played in one Grand Slam, the French Open, and made it to the second round. Storm Sanders is the first person she will play at a WTA 1000 event.

After Andreescu pulled out of the Guadalajara Open, Hailey Baptiste was put into the draw. The 21-year-old took full advantage of this on Monday, when she beat Lya Fernandez Olivares, who was the favorite at home, in the first round. Karolina Pliskova, who has been in the Grand Slam finals twice, is her opponent in the second round.

Last but not least, Yanina Wickmayer played at the Guadalajara Open after Badosa pulled out. But on Monday, she lost in the first round. Elise Mertens, who is also from Belgium, beat Wickmayer in straight sets.