The WTA Tour is back in action after a five-month break due to COVID-19, but the upcoming US Open has felt the full effects of the pandemic in the form of major withdrawals by a number of the top women’s stars.
World No. 2 Simona Halep is the latest in a long list of top-ranked players who have opted not to take part in the Grand Slam due to ongoing health concerns in the United States.
However, top American stars Serena Williams and Coco Gauff are all set to take part in New York, and they were busy playing their first competitive tennis in months to warm up for the event.
SBOBET has rounded up all the big headlines surrounding the WTA Tour, which is back in full swing.
Simona Halep becomes sixth player in Top 8 to opt out of US Open
Simona Halep made a successful start to the season restart as she won the Prague Open. The World No. 2 defeated World No. 6 Elise Mertens in straight-sets in the final.
But shortly after her victory, Halep made major WTA 2020 news as confirmed she would not play in the US Open in New York, which begins on Aug. 31.
“After weighing up all the factors involved and with the exceptional circumstances in which we are living, I have decided that I will not travel to New York to play the (at)usopen,” Halep wrote on Twitter. “I always said I would put my health at the heart of my decision and I therefore prefer to stay and train in Europe.”
Halep becomes the sixth out of the Top 8-ranked women’s tennis players in the world to withdraw from the tournament. That list includes World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty and defending US Open champion Bianca Andreescu.
The two Top-8 players who remain in the US Open draw are World No. 3 Karolina Pliskova and No. 4 Sofia Kenin.
On the men’s side, World No. 2 Rafael Nadal is the highest-profile player to withdraw from the tournament due to COVID-19 concerns.
The WTA 2020 betting odds on the women’s side of the US Open have been clearly affected by the absence so many of the top title contenders.
This gives the likes of Pliskova and Kenin, as well as Serena Williams, a much better chance of claiming the Grand Slam.
Serena Williams crashes out early in Kentucky
Speaking of Williams, she suffered an early exit at the quarter-finals of the Top Seed Open in Lexington, Kentucky in her first tournament back.
Williams, who defeated sister Venus Williams in the round of 16, was knocked out by fellow American Shelby Rogers in three sets, 1-6, 6-4, 7-6(5).
“It’s every kid’s dream, growing up watching her play,” Rogers said in her post-match interview. “Weird circumstances, weird setting. But a win is a win. It’s great to see everyone fit and playing well. I was definitely overwhelmed in the first with the pace and heavy spin. I tried to make a few more balls. The serve was a struggle for me to today, but second serve came through for me when I needed it.”
However, Rogers went out in the semi-finals in straight sets to Jil Teichmann, who then lost in straight sets in the final to Jennifer Brady.
Williams is a six-time US Open champion but has not won at Flushing Meadows since 2014. She has been a losing finalist in each of the last two years, falling to Naomi Osaka in 2018 and Bianca Andreescu in 2019.
Williams hasn’t played a WTA tournament since January’s Australian Open, where she went out in the third round to Qiang Wang.
Coco Gauff getting ready for US Open
Meanwhile, American teen sensation Coco Gauff got her season back going by reaching the semi-finals in Lexington.
The 16-year-old knocked off the No. 2 seed in the tournament, Aryna Sabalenka, and Ons Jabeur in three sets before falling to eventual champion Jennifer Brady in straight sets.
Gauff burst onto the scene last season when she beat Venus Williams en route to making the round of 16 at Wimbledon. She reached the round of 32 in the US Open, where she lost to defending champion Naomi Osaka.
Overall, Gauff was satisfied with her performance in the tournament as she continues her preparation for the US Open.
“I couldn’t ask for a better first week back,” Gauff said. “I mean, the whole goal is just to be in the prime for the US Open, and these are good stepping stones.”
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