13 Players Withdraw from WTA Hong Kong

Tennis - U.S. Open - Flushing Meadows, New York, United States - September 5, 2026 China's Qinwen Zheng reacts during her third round match against Madison Keys of the U.S. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters/Jerry Lai | Source: Lastwordonsports.com - Steen KirbyThe 2026 WTA Tour season has nearly come to an end, with only one week left before the WTA Finals. There are two 250s, with the one attracting the bigger names being Hong Kong. But, this being the end of the season, plenty of players are calling it quits, as there are a whopping 13 withdrawals from this tournament. Which Players Have Withdrawn from Hong Kong?Several players who have found success in the Asian swing are taking that as the high note to end their season—most notably, Qinwen Zheng. Zheng hasn’t played since her monumental title run in Beijing, prioritizing her preparation for next season. She’ll end the season in the top 25, giving herself plenty of momentum to build on. Her ability to withdraw from Hong Kong shows how far she’s come since starting her comeback.Similarly, Sonay Kartal hasn’t played since her run to the Wuhan final and has withdrawn from Hong Kong. Kimberly Birrell also won a title in this part of the season, back at the start in Seoul. Since then her results have been a bit stagnant, and after a lucky loser showing in Tokyo she’s ended her season.Diana Shnaider is on a great run of form and has withdrawn from Hong Kong after winning the title in Tokyo. It would have been an extremely quick turnaround for Shnaider to play in this tournament, and she’ll end the season knocking on the door of the top 10. Jan 17, 2025; Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Diana Shnaider hits a forehand during her match against Donna Vekic of Croatia in the third round of the women’s singles at the 2025 Australian Open at Melbourne Park. Mandatory Credit: Mike Frey-Imagn ImagesOne of the breakout starts of the last few weeks was 16-year-old Xinran Sun, and she withdrew late from Hong Kong following a semifinal run in Guangzhou. Sun’s recent results have propelled her to a new career high of No. 303 in the world.Ann Li’s last few weeks have been defined by big upset wins, and instead of playing Hong Kong she’s ending her season early following this success.Jasmine Paolini has withdrawn from Hong Kong not after a strong singles result, but after an excellent doubles result. Paolini won the doubles title in Tokyo with Sara Errani, securing their spot in the WTA Finals next week. As such, she doesn’t have room for Hong Kong on her calendar. There are no withdrawals due to long-term injuries, as every other player played last week or two weeks ago but simply didn’t have as strong results and are heading to the offseason a week early. Anna Bondar, Cristina Bucsa, Anhelina Kalinina, Mayar Sherif, Daria Snigur, and Yuliia Starodubtseva all fall in this category. Who Replaced Those Players in the Hong Kong Main Draw?With so many withdrawals on top of many players preparing for the WTA Finals or ending their seasons, these lower-ranked alternates have an opportunity to end their season on a high and pick up some momentum heading into the offseason.The opportunity may be less so for Maria Timofeeva, though, and she’ll play top seed Sorana Cirstea in the first round. Timofeeva entered the main draw due to Snigur’s withdrawal and is one of the higher-ranked alternates at No. 70 in the world. Alycia Parks, replacing Kalinina, has the challenge of facing second seed Alexandra Eala in her opening match. And Sofia Kenin, taking Birrell’s place, has an equally tough first round as she takes on third seed Leylah Fernandez, who has been stellar in the last few weeks. Mary Stoiana, replacing Shnaider, also has a big first round, though not by ranking. She’s set to play Venus Williams, who has a wildcard into the tournament. Stoiana has been slowly making her way up the WTA rankings this year, and this is an opportunity to prove herself on a big stage. Two players entered the draw as lucky losers: Elena Pridankina (replacing Kartal) and Carol Young Suh Lee (replacing Sun), gaining a second life in the main draw. Young Suh Lee lost a dominant straight-set decision in the second round of qualifying, while Pridankina suffered a close three-set loss.An interesting player to watch is Tereza Valentova, who entered the main draw following Zheng’s withdrawal. Valentova had some momentum in the North American hard court swing but was taken out by injury until Osaka. Finding her footing again, she’s been given the opportunity to bypass qualifying here.Claire Liu, taking Paolini’s place, will have the chance to finish the season in the top 100. She currently sits at No. 102 and could easily slot herself in the year-end top 100 with a solid run.Rounding out the alternates are Dayana Yastremska (replacing Bondar), Viktorija Golubic (replacing Bucsa), Maya Joint (replacing Li), Katie Volynets (replacing Sherif), and Antonia Ruzic (replacing Starodubtseva).Main Photo Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters/Jerry Lai