Leylah Fernandez has withdrawn from the Hong Kong Open because of a shoulder injury, ending her run at the WTA 250 event after a demanding few weeks on the Asian swing.
The Canadian had won the Singapore Open before reaching the finals in Ningbo and at the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo. Those results lifted the 24-year-old to No. 18 in the rankings, five places below her career high. On Tuesday, she had posted on Instagram that she had arrived in Hong Kong.
The tournament announced her withdrawal on November 4 and said Sofia Kenin would instead face lucky loser Mika Stojsavljevic. Fernandez apologized to fans who had hoped to see her play, adding: “I hope to be back next year and play in front of you again.”
Fernandez’s withdrawal came after an emotional week. Following her loss to Diana Shnaider in Tokyo on Sunday, she paid tribute in her runner-up speech to her grandfather, whom she said had died the previous weekend. She thanked her family and supporters and said she knew her grandfather was “looking down on us.”
Sources: Tennis365.