British No 1 Emma Raducanu has been forced to pull out of the upcoming Transylvania Open due to a wrist injury.
It marks the latest in a series of injury setbacks for the 2021 US Open champion after she withdrew from her Korea Open semi-final against Jelena Ostapenko with a muscle injury a week and a half ago.
Raducanu was recently knocked out in the first round at the Agel Open after suffering a 7-5 6-4 defeat to fifth seed Daria Kasatkina in 91 minutes.
The 19-year-old’s season has previously been hindered by blisters as well as hip and back issues, while she had fallen from No 11 to No 83 in the WTA rankings before recently rising to 67 in light of reaching her first career WTA Tour semi-final in Korea.
Raducanu had been relishing a return to Cluj, where she reached the quarter-finals last year before losing to 2-6 1-6 to Marta Kostyuk.
“I had a really fun time last year in Cluj, the people were amazing and made me feel so so welcome so I’m really excited and happy to say I’m coming back again this year,” she said last week.
“Whenever I can I love to go back to Romania, it’s where my dad came from, and I have so many positive and happy memories from there so I’m really looking forward to coming back.”
Swiatek, Kvitova reach quarters at Agel Open
Top-ranked Iga Swiatek advanced to the quarter-finals of the Agel Open after Ajla Tomljanovic retired with an injury during the second set of their second-round match on Wednesday.
The Polish US Open champion was leading 7-5, 2-2 when her Australian opponent retired due to a left knee injury at the indoor hardcourt event in the eastern Czech city of Ostrava.
Swiatek, who also won the French Open in June, will next face American qualifier Catherine McNally or Karolina Muchova.
Home favorite and two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova upset second-seeded Paula Badosa of Spain 7-6 (4), 6-4 to set up a quarter-final against this year’s Wimbledon winner Elena Rybakina, who rallied to eliminate Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-7 (5), 6-4, 7-5.
Czech players also won the last two first-round matches on the schedule.
Muchova knocked out seventh-seeded Beatriz Haddad Maia of Brazil 6-4, 6-4 and Barbora Krejcikova ousted American Shelby Rogers 6-2, 6-2 for her sixth straight victory after she won the Tallinn Open on Sunday for her first WTA title of the year.
