Iga Swiatek joins Jessica Pegula, Elena Rybakina in withdrawing from Seoul

Emma Navarro will also miss the Korea Open, which has been elevated to a WTA 500 this season.

Top-ranked Iga Swiatek will not play next week’s Korea Open, seeing the 2024-elevated WTA 500 event lose all of its expected Top 10 stars.

On Friday, the five-time major winner pulled out due to fatigue just days after her participation was confirmed. Swiatek was coming off a quarterfinal loss to Jessica Pegula at the US Open.

A day earlier, Pegula withdrew with a rib injury. The 30-year-old American, who went on to contest her first major singles final in New York, captured last year’s Seoul crown over Yuan Yue.

World No. 4 Elena Rybakina and No. 8 Emma Navarro have also opted out. Rybakina cited a back injury, while Navarro

Daria Kasatkina, Beatriz Haddad Maia and Diana Shnaider now lead the entered players. Former US Open champions Sloane Stephens and Emma Raducanu have moved into the main draw, along with American Amanda Anisimova.

SEOUL (AP) — Jessica Pegula advanced to the semifinals of the Korea Open by beating Claire Liu 4-6, 6-3, 6-0 Friday.

The fourth-ranked American, looking to win her fourth title of the season, will next play Yanina Wickmayer. She beat Polina Kudermetova 6-3, 6-1.

Another American, Emina Bektas, also advanced to the semifinals. Bektas defeated Kimberly Birrell 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.

The 116th-ranked Bektas will play Yuan Yue, who eliminated fourth-seeded Marie Bouzkova 7-5, 7-6 (7).