Issues Arising: Iga Świątek Withdraws from 2024 Korea Open in Seoul to Focus on…

The 2024 Korea Open suffered a massive blow after Iga Swiatek withdrew from the WTA 500 tournament in Seoul.

Swiatek was set to be the event’s biggest attraction for fans in Seoul. Due to her worldwide stardom, the World No. 1’s presence always convinces many people to buy tickets no matter where the tournament is being held.

This year’s French Open champion’s last match was a disappointing US Open quarterfinal loss to the eventual runner-up, Jessica Pegula. Swiatek struggled to hold back tears after that brutal defeat.

Swiatek’s quarterfinal loss and Aryna Sabalenka’s win in the women’s singles title at Flushing Meadows mean she faces a tight battle to finish the year as world no. 1. Sabalenka admitted that ending the season as world no. 1 is a goal for her.

The tightness of the world No. 1 race probably convinced Swiatek to initially enter the Korea Open. It could come down to fine margins, and any points the Pole could have gotten in Seoul might have been decisive.

However, Swiatek has also been outspoken about the length of the season and the number of tournaments. She believes this harms the standard of play fans watch during tournaments.

Those concerns meant Swiatek’s considering playing in Korea was surprising, despite how close the race to end the year as the world’s No. 1 is. Her comments indicated that playing even more tournaments was not on the cards.

The decision to withdraw seems wise because Swiatek potentially faces three consecutive weeks of action afterward at the back-to-back WTA-1000 tournaments in Beijing and Wuhan. The event in Beijing is almost two weeks long.

Unfortunately, the Korea Open organizers have been very unlucky with the number of players who have withdrawn from their tournament in recent days, which will undoubtedly harm attendance numbers.

Elena Rybakina withdrew from the Korea Open. The 2022 Wimbledon champion also pulled out of the US Open just hours before her second-round match at Flushing Meadows, citing her injuries as the reason.

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Rybakina split from her longtime coach, Stefano Vukov, ahead of the US Open. The Kazakhstani did not give the reason for her decision, but there have been reports that the Croatian was banned from the WTA Tour.

Karolina Muchova and Emma Navarro also withdrew from the Korea Open. Both women have had excellent results this year, meaning their presence would have certainly benefited from the tournament.

Muchova, who returned in June from over nine months out with a wrist injury, progressed to the US Open semifinal without dropping a set. Her time in New York ended heartbreakingly, though, losing from 6-1, 2-0 up against Jessica Pegula.

Navarro continued her breakthrough season by also reaching the US Open semifinal, knocking out last year’s champion Coco Gauff in the fourth round. The eventual winner, Aryna Sabalenka, ended her run.

It should still be a great tournament in Seoul. However, the loss of those high-profile players has certainly weakened the field. Hopefully, the other players on the entry list can rise to the occasion and give the Korean fans some great tennis to enjoy.

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