Sabalenka eyes top spot

World No 2 Sabalenka will return to action for the first time since her US Open triumph by playing in the China Open, and the Belarusian said on Tuesday that her sights were set on reclaiming the top ranking in the final weeks of the season.

The 26-year-old lifted her third Grand Slam title earlier this month, following back-to-back Australian Open triumphs, and will be the firm favorite for the Beijing crown in the absence of holder Iga Swiatek, who is missing the event due to personal reasons.

Sabalenka briefly took the No 1 spot last season, but was overtaken by Swiatek, and said she is focused on a strong showing in the Asian swing to give herself the best chance of usurping her Polish rival.

"Of course, that's one of my goals, to finish the season as world No 1," Sabalenka told reporters.

"I'm not trying to focus on that. I'm trying to focus on my game. There are three tournaments left. I'm trying to bring my best tennis on court.

"After the season, I'll see if it was enough to finish the year as world No 1, or if I have to improve something else. To be called as best player in the world, that means a lot."

Sabalenka has already qualified for the season-ending WTA Finals along with Swiatek, and is eager to head to the November event with plenty of wins under her belt.

"It's important to do well here before the WTA Finals, to have these matches in your pocket before going to the Finals. I think, between Wuhan and the Finals, it's a gap of three weeks," Sabalenka said.

"It means that, if you're not reaching the last stages of the tournaments here, you have a really big gap in between, which isn't so good before the last tournament of the year."

Raducanu out

Former US Open champion Emma Raducanu became the latest high-profile player to withdraw from the China Open, after the Briton said she was skipping the tournament due to a foot injury.

Raducanu has struggled with injuries since capturing the New York title in 2021, and spent most of last season recovering from ankle and wrist surgeries.

The 21-year-old, who has since climbed to 54th in the world rankings, sustained her latest setback in the Korea Open quarterfinals on Saturday while playing Russian Daria Kasatkina.

"I sprained some ligaments in my foot, which, unfortunately, need some more time to heal," Raducanu said on Monday.

"It means I can't play in Beijing, but I hope to be back competing as soon as I can."

Former Wimbledon champion, Kazakstan's Elena Rybakina, Swiatek and Tunisian three-time Grand Slam runner-up Ons Jabeur have decided to skip the Beijing event.

Swiatek will play at the WTA 1000 Wuhan Open (Oct 7-13), the manager of the tennis player confirmed in an interview with Polish media on Tuesday.

The men's ATP 500 tournament in Beijing has lost one of its top players, with organizers confirming that German world No 2 Alexander Zverev has pulled out due to pneumonia.

The 27-year-old helped Team Europe complete a 13-11 victory over Team World in the Laver Cup at the weekend, but was absent from the German squad announced on Monday for the Davis Cup Final 8 in November.

Agencies