Rybakina withdraws from Tokyo before the quarterfinal with a neck injury

On 30 October Elena Rybakina withdrew from the WTA 500 Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo before her quarterfinal against Leylah Fernandez. The Canadian received a walkover into the semifinals, where she will play lucky loser Kamilla Rakhimova. According to the WTA, the reason is a neck injury. In her statement Rybakina explained that inflammation and pain in her neck had been affecting her ability to play at her best, called it a very difficult decision and said she hopes to be back in Tokyo next year. A day earlier she beat Yulia Putintseva 6-2, 6-3 and secured the year-end world No. 1 ranking for the first time in her career. Walkovers do not count in the head-to-head, so Rybakina still leads Fernandez 4-2. Next on her calendar is the WTA Finals in Indian Wells on 8–15 November, where she is the defending champion; how the injury affects her participation has not been announced yet.