BREAKING: US Open Chaos Deepens as Emma Raducanu and Seven More Stars Announce Withdrawals, Leaving Tennis Fans Stunned as Major Tournament Plans Begin to Unravel
The US Open gets underway in just three weeks’ time, but the tournament has already been hit by several high-profile withdrawals. Emma Raducanu, who made history when she lifted the trophy as a qualifier five years ago, will miss the event as she continues to recover from a stress fracture in her leg.
Ajla Tomljanovic, who reached the quarter-finals in 2022 and sent Serena Williams into retirement during that run – before the American tennis icon returned to competition this summer – has also withdrawn after ending her season early, while home favourite Sebastian Korda will not be in action.
Emma Raducanu
This year marks the five-year anniversary of Raducanu’s unprecedented US Open run in 2021, when she became the first and only qualifier to win a Grand Slam title. But, upon consultations with her medical team, the world No. 49 has made the difficult decision to miss the event this year as she continues to recover from a stress fracture in her right leg, which also forced her out of Wimbledon. It has now been around two months since the Brit was last seen on a match court.
Ajla Tomljanovic
The Aussie reached the last eight in New York just four years ago, but withdrew from the main draw after ending her 2026 season and was replaced in the field by Ella Siedel. “It has been a tough year battling minor injuries, so I’ve decided to end my season earlier than planned to be healthy and ready for 2027,” the former world No. 32 wrote in a recent Instagram post.
Sebastian Korda
The former world No. 15 has not played or won a match since the Miami Open in March, when he stunned Carlos Alcaraz in the second round. The injury-prone American recently announced that he had undergone surgery for the back issue that has seen him sidelined for most of the season. His US Open withdrawal allowed Aleksander Vukic into the main draw.
“It’s been 4 months off-court managing pain in my back with a lot of pressure on my sciatica. After different treatments we decided to have a swift surgery that has finally relieved the pain,” Korda wrote on social media.
Irina-Camelia Begu
The 35-year-old took a nine-month break from tennis and returned in May with a protected ranking of No. 82 in the world, which she used to enter the US Open. But she suffered a new setback shortly after her opening-round defeat at Wimbledon. In an Instagram post last month, Begu said she suffered fractures in two toes following an accident. Elsa Jacquemot has taken her place in New York.
Victoria Mboko
The Canadian enjoyed a breakout North American hard-court summer in 2025 when she won her home tournament in Montreal as a teenage wildcard. But Mboko has been sidelined since slipping on the grass at London’s Queen’s Club in June, injuring her MCL. She was unable to defend her title in Canada this week and also left her name off the US Open entry list.
Hailey Baptiste
The American also did not put her name on the US Open entry list as she continues to recover from an ACL tear and meniscus injuries that she picked up during a horror fall at the French Open. It brought an end to Baptiste’s career-best 2026 season, which saw her shock Aryna Sabalenka in Madrid and peak at No. 25 in the world. She recently told the WTA that her rehab was going well and added: “I’m starting to feel stronger and starting to get to the point where I’m able to sweat in the gym, not just moving around and stuff, so it’s been good.”
Varvara Gracheva
The Russian-born French world No. 102 also ruptured her ACL in March, bringing her season to an end. She was not included in the US Open entry list.
Sonay Kartal
A year ago, the Brit was ranked inside the top 50 after a stunning run to the second week of Wimbledon. But Kartal has been sidelined by a back injury since March and will not be in Flushing Meadows later this month.
