Jessica Pegula joins growing list of absentees from China Open

Fifteen players have withdrawn from the China Open already, which begins on 30 September at the National Tennis Centre and runs through to the final on 11 October.

The list includes seven seeded players, with world No. 3 Jessica Pegula the latest to withdraw with a back injury. She was a semi-finalist last year and becomes the highest-ranked player to miss out.

Fellow top-10 player Marta Kostyuk (wrist) is also among the absentees, as well as defending champion Amanda Anisimova (also wrist), Victoria Mboko, Sorana Cirstea, rising star Alex Eala and Madison Keys.

The timing of the tournament has proven difficult for top players to accommodate as it comes only a couple of weeks after the long North American hard-court swing.

Many players are either nursing injuries or simply need a proper break as the season winds down.

There is still star power on the entry list, however, with new world No. 1 Elena Rybakina as the top seed, along with Aryna Sabalenka headlining the bottom half of the draw.

Anisimova's absence carries ranking consequences as she will be unable to defend the 1,000 points she earned by winning the title last year, which will see the American slide in the rankings.

"I'm so sad not to be in Beijing this year, but I need to focus on recovering from an injury," she said.

"The fans in Beijing always give amazing support, so I can't wait to be back next year."

Pegula and Anisimova also sat out the Singapore Open, while Eala is the only seeded withdrawal not linked to injury with the 21-year-old is prioritising her country's campaign at the Asian Games in Japan.

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