7 Players Withdraw from WTA Ningbo and Osaka

The tennis season is finally winding down, but there is still no shortage of tournaments to follow in the last few weeks. On the women's side, a WTA 500 in Ningbo and a WTA 250 in Osaka will kickstart the final stretch. Several players are ending their seasons early, taking time off, or preparing for the WTA finals.

7 Players Withdraw from WTA Ningbo and Osaka

Which Players Have Withdrawn from Ningbo?

It's been a strange post- US Open swing for Jessica Pegula as she withdrew from Beijing and lost in her opening match of Wuhan to Jelena Ostapenko in three sets. That isn't necessarily a bad loss, as Ostapenko showcased her good form in a semifinal run, but certainly not up to the standards Pegula has set for herself this year. With her WTA Finals spot secure, she's withdrawn from Ningbo, giving herself time to prepare for the last tournament of the year.

Elina Svitolina has also secured her appearance at the WTA Finals and has withdrawn from Ningbo as well. Svitolina lost in the quarterfinals of Wuhan to Sonay Kartal, a loss that, like Pegula's, was later proven to be against a quality opponent. Svitolina is still on the entry list for Tokyo, but she's able to take this week off due to securing her spot at the year-end championships.

The final withdrawal from Ningbo is Anna Kalinskaya, who retired in her opening match in Beijing and withdrew from Wuhan due to injury.

Who Replaced Those Players in the Main Draw?

Leylah Fernandez, who tends to find success in this part of the season, entered the main draw as a result of Pegula's withdrawal. Fernandez's status as an alternate shows how strong the draw is, as Fernandez currently sits at No. 30 in the live WTA rankings. Fernandez is also the defending champion in Osaka, but she opted to go to Ningbo this year instead, with the opportunity to defend her points and pick up even more.

Taking Kalinskaya's place in the main draw is Diane Parry, a player on a four-match losing streak starting from the US Open. Parry had a good run of form up to that point, though, and like Fernandez she isn't far from the top 30.

Svitolina's late withdrawal made room for a lucky loser, a spot taken by Anhelina Kalinina. Kalinina gave a walkover in her second-round qualifying match but was still able to enter the main draw.

Which Players Have Withdrawn from Osaka?

Following her monumental title run in Beijing, Qinwen Zheng won't be playing in Osaka. She withdrew from Wuhan as well, able to be more selective with her schedule now that she's back in the upper echelon of the rankings. Also taking a break after an excellent run is Nikola Bartunkova, who made the Beijing semifinals before losing early in Wuhan.

Both Camila Osorio and Clara Tauson gave walkovers in their first-round matches in Wuhan, and as such they won't be participating in the action in Osaka.

Playing for the first time since her maiden WTA title a few weeks ago, Kaitlin Quevedo was able to enter the main draw due to Osorio's withdrawal. Despite that title run, Quevedo has yet to break the top 70 but has shown her potential over the course of this year.

Osaka doubles pairing Caty McNally and Ashlyn Krueger both entered the main draw as alternates, with McNally replacing Tauson and Krueger replacing Zheng. They're set to play their first doubles match against, ironically, Quevedo.

The final alternate is Antonia Ruzic, taking Bartunkova's place. Ruzic has only played at 125-level tournaments since the US Open, so this will be a step up in level for her.

Main Photo Credit: REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz