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Naomi Osaka and Jessica Pegula have withdrawn from the new women’s tournament at Queen’s Club. This event marks the return of female players to Queen’s Club after 52 years.
Naomi Osaka and Jessica Pegula (AFP)
Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka and world number three Jessica Pegula have withdrawn from the new women’s tournament at Queen’s Club.
Pegula, last year’s US Open runner-up, was set to be the highest-ranked player at the WTA 500 event. However, both the American and Japanese star Osaka pulled out on Thursday.
The Wimbledon warm-up event begins on Monday and marks the return of female players to Queen’s Club for the first time in 52 years.
Earlier this week, Pegula lost in the French Open fourth round to wild card Lois Boisson. On Wednesday, she posted images on her Instagram page highlighting the social media abuse she received following her unexpected loss.
Osaka, a two-time Australian Open and US Open champion, had received a wild card from the Queen’s organisers. However, she voiced frustration with her form last week after a poor French Open performance against Paula Badosa.
Queen’s Club officials confirmed the withdrawals on the tournament’s official X account.
The absence of these two high-profile stars is a setback for Queen’s organisers, who had added a week of women’s action to a tournament that had featured only men since 1973.
The ATP event at Queen’s will now take place a week after the women’s tournament in west London.
Former Wimbledon winners Elena Rybakina and Petra Kvitova, who has recently returned from maternity leave, are scheduled to participate alongside reigning All England Club champion Barbora Krejcikova in the WTA tournament.
Top-10 players Madison Keys, who won the Australian Open in January, Emma Navarro, and Zheng Qinwen are also in the women’s draw.
After training in the field of broadcast media, Siddarth, as a sub-editor for News18 Sports, currently dabbles in putting together stories, from across a plethora of sports, onto a digital canvas. His long-term…Read More
After training in the field of broadcast media, Siddarth, as a sub-editor for News18 Sports, currently dabbles in putting together stories, from across a plethora of sports, onto a digital canvas. His long-term… Read More
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