Madison Keys the latest WTA superstar to withdraw from China Open

It appears to have been a tumultuous fortnight for the American, partly due to throwing away a 5-0 final-set lead to Qinwen Zheng in the third round of the US Open.

The 31-year-old fought back tears in her post-match press conference, while admitting all had not been well for her in recent times.

Keys told reporters, "I just feel like I've kind of been struggling for a while now, and I feel like I was able to kind of play through it for a bit. I'm sure everyone could kind of see that I was struggling a little bit, but inside it felt probably even bigger than that.

"Some weeks are easier than others, and this week is obviously one of the harder ones just because you care so much. Yeah, I'm going to have to make some sort of changes."

That was followed up by the former world No 5 dispelling rumours that she was pregnant with husband and coach Bjorn Fratangelo.

She said, "If people could stop assuming and or asking me if I am pregnant, that would be super fun. That's like the number one comment I keep getting, post US Open."

Now, it has emerged that Keys will not be competing at the star-studded WTA 1000 event in Beijing, which begins on 30 September. She has been replaced by former world No 2 Paula Badosa. She is the ninth star to skip the Asian event.

US Open winner Elena Rybakina and runner-up Aryna Sabalenka headline the tournament, alongside fellow top five players Jessica Pegula, Coco Gauff, and Mirra Andreeva.

Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova and six-time major winner Iga Swiatek also feature, but rising WTA star Alex Eala has pulled out due to a clash with the Asian Games.

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