HONG KONG: Top seed Belinda Bencic pulled out of the Hong Kong Open quarter-finals on Friday as the Tokyo Olympic champion became the latest in a long line of players to suffer a late-season injury.
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The Asian “swing” on the WTA Tour has been particularly hard hit by injuries and pullouts in recent weeks, placing renewed scrutiny on the demanding tennis schedule.
Bencic, who was ranked 421 in the world at the start of the season but has climbed to 11, was supposed to meet Spain’s Cristina Bucsa in the last eight in Hong Kong.
“So disappointed to have to withdraw today from my quarter-final match here in Hong Kong due to my thigh injury,” said the 28-year-old Swiss, who won gold at the Covid-delayed Olympics in 2021.
