Ash Barty withdraws from US Open
WORLD number one Ash Barty has confirmed she will not compete at the 2020 US Open today, with the Grand Slam set to go ahead from August 31 to the dismay of many during the COVID-19 health crisis. A huge decision, Barty’s withdrawal sees the Australian fan favourite the most significant name to be removed from the overall entry list thus far, and could see more players remove themselves from contention in the coming weeks.
It is a huge blow for Barty to withdraw, with the Australian world number one stating that the state of emergency in the USA means there are significant risks involved despite the Grand Slam getting the all-clear from the USTA. Barty also suggested that there is no guarantee she will contest her Roland Garros title, telling media today “I will make my decision on the French Open and the surrounding WTA European tournaments in the coming weeks”, with the Grand Slam due to start in late September.
While not officially withdrawn as of yet, world number two Simona Halep is also still in question for the US Open, having confirmed she will not attend the lead-up tournament Western and Southern Open, with the 2020 competition set to be hosted in New York prior to the Grand Slam. While withdrawing from the “Cincy” Open is no cause for worry just yet for the 2019 US Open champion, Halep’s reluctance to compete will potentially see her not only miss out on valuable court time in the lead-up to the US Open, but she could also drop a huge amount of winning points and inevitably her world ranking if she withdraws from the US Open, currently sitting at second after Barty.
Barty will also miss the Cincinnati Masters, with no other Australians entered for the WTA tournament, with only five of the top 10 competing in the women’s draw after Barty, Halep, Elina Svitolina, Naomi Osaka and Bianca Andreescu decided against attending the tournament.
Meanwhile, Barty’s compatriots in Alex de Minaur, Nick Kyrgios and John Millman are all confirmed entered for the ATP Tour, alongside eight of the top 10 ranked in the world.
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