Caroline Wozniacki was supposed to be the top seed in the Washington Open, the prelude to the ATP Masters Series tournaments in Montreal and Cincinnati. However, the Dane had to retire after hospital scans revealed a problem in the back part of her right thigh which could lead to a muscle tear if stretched any further. As a result, she was advised to rest and withdrew from the tournament.
Caroline Wozniacki 2018 season to date
Wozniacki won her first Grand Slam title at the beginning of this year, defeating top seed and world No. 1 Simona Halep in three sets. It was the 28-year-old’s third Grand Slam final and her first since 2014. It wasn’t until Eastbourne that Wozniacki won her next title in 2018. She opened the grass court season with a bang but was quickly pulled back to Earth by a surprising second-round exit at Wimbledon. She lost to Ekaterina Makarova, who is coincidentally the Washington Open’s defending champion.
Caroline played in Washington once before, retiring in the second round against top-seeded Samantha Stosur back in 2016. At this point, it is too early to know whether Caroline Wozniacki will be able to recover in time for the two upcoming Masters events.
WTA Washington Open update: four seeded players’ left
Lucky loser Ysaline Bonaventure took Wozniacki’s spot a top of the Citi Open draw and progressed past the first round by eliminating Ukrainian qualifier Anhelina Kalinina. She is due to play China’s Saisai Zheng next. Second-seeded Sloane Stephens is out of the tournament, having suffered a defeat from Germany’s Andrea Petkovic. Defending champion and fourth-seed Ekaterina Makarova lost to Romania’s Ana Bogdan in straight sets also.
Japan’s Naomi Osaka is now the highest ranked player left in contention, with Donna Vekic, Belinda Bencic and Yulia Putintseva as the only other seeded players remaining.
Cincinnati Masters and Montreal Masters coming up next
The Washington Open is followed by two of the richest tournaments in the circuit, the Cincinnati Masters (also known as Western & Southern Open) and the Montreal Masters (also known as Rogers Cup). Both offer €1.7 million in prize money.
2018 Rogers Cup
Aug 4, 2018 – Aug 12, 2018
2018 Western & Southern Open
Aug 11, 2018 – Aug 19, 2018
